In Dire Times
by ThisGamerGirl53
Summary: 2 Years after Naruto leaves, Kanami finds herself on a new road of adventure and danger as her missions increase in ranking. This also comes with worry for her cousins Honno and Sasuke as well as Sunagakure. When the Akatsuki begin moving about, how will she handle herself? How will her fellow Konoha Ninja handle themselves?
1. Chapter 1

I stand in Tsunade's office with Sakura.  
"So, what was it you called us here for Hokage-samma?" I ask. Its been 2 years. And to put bluntly, it seems like so much has changed since Naruto left. Everyone in the Genin ranking (Besides Naruto of course) was promoted to Chuunin... With the excaption of Neji who is already a Jonin. Lucky bastard. Anyway, with that maturing came new looks and new skills. I am now an efficient poison's master and I have been able to improve what medical skills I _do _have. Sakura's the clear medical expert here.  
The Chuunin Exams are coming by quick and I wonder if Naruto will make it back in time... My jacket rustles against the green fabric of my Chuunin vest as I turn to look behind me.  
_Someones coming...  
_The door opens and I recognise Naruto's shaggy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Sakura and I perk up instantly.  
"Naruto!" Sakura gasps I smile at him.  
"Been a while eh, Naruto?" I say. Naruto smiles at us all and stands beside us with Jirayia.

"It's been a long time. I hope your training proved to be successful." Tsunade states, leaning back into her chair.  
"Did you think we'd come back without any results?" Jiraiya questions. Naruto gives Tsunade a thumbs up.  
"I did great!" He says cherrily. I grin, moving my bangs from my hair slightly. They still hung over my eye at random intervals... as always.  
"Well then, lets see those results." Tsunade says confidantly. Naruto makes a face. "Eh?"  
"I'd like you to fight against a certain someone." Tsunade continues. "I havent given him missions in the past few days so he could rest up. That opponent is..." Suddenly the door opens behind me and Shikamaru enters with Temari.  
"Hey." Shikamaru says lazilly. Sakura waves a hand.  
"Shikamaru! Temari-san, look!" She says, pointing to Naruto excitedly. I pop up from behind his shoulder, hands in the air.  
"My spazzy team mate is back!" I exclaim. Naruto gives me a look.

"I am not spazzy." He mutters. I chuckle, sticking my tongue out at him. Shikamaru looks like he blanked for a moment before a smile spreads across his face.  
"Hey! If it isn't Naruto!" He says. Temari blinks.  
"So you finaly came back." Shikamaru says, holding up a hand. Naruto nods, putting his hands over his head. "Yeah. I just got back this morning." He replys. Shikamaru chuckles.  
"You dont look like so much of an idiot anymore or... How to say it? Looks like you've changed." He compliments. I pop up beside Shikamaru and put a hand near my mouth.  
"He probably hasn't changed at all." I mutter. Shikamaru's hair satnds on end and he turns to me, rubbing his neck.  
"Geeze! How are you so fast I can never see you move?" He wonders. I smile, flashing my Sharingan at him. "Cause I unlocked my second tome, dobe." I say jokeingly. Shikamaru hangs his head.  
"Still the same Kanami I see." He sighs, I laugh. Tsunade and Shizune smile at the friendly reunion and Naruto straightens up.  
"So, is my opponent supposed to be Shikamaru?" He asks. I shake my head.

"Probably not." I say. "He may have different techniques and most definatly a higher accordance of quick thinking, but he's on the same level as us." Naruto slouches.  
Tsunade points to the window.  
"He's over there." She says. We all move over to the window and take a peek outside.  
"Well haven't you gotten big, Naruto?" Kakashi says, looking up from the book in his hands. "Yo." He says, sticking up a hand. I grin.  
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto says happily. "Looks like you havent changed." Naruto hopps out the window, allowing me a closer look. He suddenly grabs something from his weapons pouch.  
"Thats right..." He mutters. I raise an eyebrow. " I gotcha a present, Kakashi-Sensei." He says. Sakura smiles, holding a hand over her chest. Tsunade walks up behind her.  
"Such a nostalgic sight, huh?" She says kindly. I nod. "Definatly.".

Kakashi leans back.  
"What?! Y-You... Th-Th-This is..." His hand shakes slightly in front of him as he gazes with wide eyes at the green book in Naruto's hand. Kakashi opens the book gingerly, as if he were handling a precious treasure. My eyebrow twitches but I am dying of laughter internally.  
"Sensei... You pervert." I say, hanging my head slightly. Tsunade turns back to the room.  
"Alright. Stop gofing off now, Kakashi." She says, a demanding tone in her voice. Kakshi and Naruto hop into the room and I back away from the window.  
"My, it's been a while since I've seen you, Sakura!" he says, probably thinking back fondly when we were easily manipulateable Genin. "Same goes to you, Kanami." He says, his gaze falling on me. I give a small wave.  
"Hey'ya, Sensei." I say happily. really this was turning out to be a nice little reunion. Kakashi looks at us all.  
"I'm fighting against Naruto, Sakura and Kanami." He says. "The three of you together." We all make small noises of shock and I can tell that deep down he is pleased by the reaction.  
"Kakashi-Sensei is our opponent?" Sakura says quietly.  
_Oh my. This will be one hell of a fight..._


	2. Meeting Sensei! :D

"Just how far can you go with Kakashi as your opponent? I'll decide how to deal with you depending on those results." tsunade says calmly. Meanwhile my eyes narrow.  
_How to deal with us?  
_Shikamaru puts his hands on his hips. "How to deal with them, eh?" He says to himself. Tsunade looks to Sakura.  
"Sakura it's not like you've been wasteing your time while working under me. Same goes to you, Kanami." Sakura and I nod.  
"Hai." We say, a determined look in our eyes. Naruto raises an eyebrow.  
"So, shall we get started then?" Kakashi says. We all look back over to him. "At least, thats what I'd like to say." He continues. "Naruto is probably tired from just getting back. I'll give you a bit of time to rest up. I put my hands on my hips.  
"Yeah right! You just want to read that book, you pervert!" I exclaim. Kakashi turns to the side slightly.  
"I'll meet you at Training ground 3." He holds up two fingers. "Later." He says. There is a puff of smoke and my hair flies over my shoulder. I scowl.  
I exit the room with the others, messing with my now longer black hair.  
_I should get this cut...  
_"That Kakashi-Sensei..." Naruto mutters. " Is that stupid book really more important than seeing the results of our training?" As we approach a hair-cuttery, I wave goodbye to Sakura and Naruto. I head in and get my hair chopped down to its ' about shoulder length' that I am comfortable with and then set out for Training Ground 3. I arrive to find Naruto and Sakura already there.  
"Just how long does Kakashi-Sensei plan on making us wait?!" Naruto exclaims, pacing restlessly. I smirk, leaning on a nearby tree trunk.

"Well he's never been on time before, so why do you think he'd change now?" I say sarcastically yet truthfully. Sakura chuckles when I hear a noise and look to the top of the fence where Kakashi holds up a hand.  
"Hey! My bad, my bad. Actually, while on the way here, I saw an old woman who needed some help-"

"A lie!" We all exclaim, cutting him off. He sighs and turns, jumping into the grounds. We follow him closely.  
"Taku. Kakashi-Sensei..." I mutter under my breath. Sunshine casts light over the three wooden logs I remember so clearly and I fall into a flashback of memories.  
"This place is kind of nostalgic." Naruto says. I nod.  
"Yeah..." Sakura murmurs. Kakashi looks up from his new book.  
"Now that you mention it, this was your first training area, wasn't it?" He says, peering around. Sakura looks down. "We were Team 7..." She says quietly. I look at the dirt ahead of me, the ground seemingly very interesting suddenly.  
"Back then we had Sasuke with us..." Kakashi states, trailing off. We all fall to the ground, suddenly depressed. Kakashi makes a face.

I look up as I hear the fimiliar tinkling of three bells.  
"Well, I'm going to see just how much you've improved." Kakshi says, peering back down at his book for a second. "You haven't given up on Sasuke, right?" I narrow my eyes, standing with Sakura and Naruto. A determined look flashes through all of our eyes.  
"Of course not." Sakura says.  
"Thats why I've been training." Naruto says.  
"He's my family." I say, looking Kakashi in the eyes. Kakashi smiles, latching the bells to his pants.  
"The rules are the same as last time." He says. " You can use whatever tricks you like, as long as you can get these bells from me. Come at me..."  
"Like we're going to kill you." Naruto finishes, smirking. Sakura grins, fixing her gloves.  
"Or else we won't be able to get them, right?" She adds. Kakshi chuckles. "Exactly."

"You have until tomorrow." He adds, his book moving away from his head a bit. He closes it, putting it in his Ninja Pouch. I zip my Chuunin vest, adjusting the weapons on my leg and the other items I have aquired.  
"So, shall we begin?" Kakashi states smoothly. Naruto makes a noise, smirking.  
"No fighting and reading at the same time, Sensei?" He jokes.  
"Or did you already finish it?" I ask, straightning the dark grey jacket beneath my vest.  
Kakashi shuffles his feet to the sides. "No I'll have to put that hobby aside for the moment." He reaches up to his forehead protector. "Besides, it kinda feels like I'll have to be serious this time." He lifts the cloth, revealing his Sharingan. I smirk.  
"Nice try Sensei." I say, activating my own Sharingan. "But I dont think that will scare us."  
We stand still for a moment when Naruto suddenly runs forward.  
"Here I go!" He exclaims.  
_Baka. He hasn't even said start yet..._


	3. Fighting Sensei Again

Naruto stops, whipping some Shuriken at Kakashi who ducks and slings some back. Naruto jumps up to avoid them and creates an opening for Kakashi to throw more shuriken, which he promptly does. I dont move a muscle and just give Sakura a knowing look.  
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu." Naruto says, creating a clone. He grabs the clones arm, pulling himself around.  
_He used the clone to manuever mid-air! Nice, Naruto! _Sakura grins.  
Kakashi jumps up as Naruto lands, transforming his clone into a large Shuriken. He goes to throw it but as he turns Kakashi grab his hand, pushing his other against Naruto's head.  
"Okay, thats enough of that." He says. His position reminds me of the first day of training we had against Kakashi as Team 7. Powned Naruto regardless. Kakashi's eyes soften. I make a small face of amusement as Kakashi peers at the Shadow Clone behind him. The clone grins, holding a kunai to our Sensei's back. I feel three others watching from a distance and peer to my right.

In the corner of my eyes I find Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade watching along the treeline.  
"You've matured, Naruto." Kakashi says kindly. "But, it looks like your as impatient as ever. I haven't said start yet." I chuckle. Sakura smiles as Kakashi continues.  
"Well, lets begin." I tense up, peering down at my pants leg to make sure my weapons pouch is on tight enough. "Ready? Start!"  
Sakura gasps as Kakashi dissapears, Naruto makes a face and I narrow my eyes to search for him. The Naruto's peer around.  
"Damn it! I've been tricked." He says. Sakura balls her fists. "Naruto you twit!" She scolds. I look all around me before narrowing my eyes at the ground.  
_He's not above us... Or to the right. Left is out... He's not behind so..._ I shift my feet.

"Sakura! Below!" I exclaim. Sakura's eyebrows furrow. She clenches her fist.  
"Shannaro!" She yells, slamming her fist into the ground beneath us. Naruto wobbles intensly and I shift slightly to avoid tumbling. I grin at Naruto and Kakashi's stares of utter disbelief and shock. Dust settles to the ground as Kakashi stares at his student.  
"W-What insane strength." He stutters, back against a large rock. "Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura says, sending Kakashi out of his thoughts. "I found you." She says, grinning. I whip out some senbon laced with trace ammounts of a paralyzing liquid and throw them at Kakashi. He looks at the senbon before hastilly leaping up onto a rock, avoiding the senbon as they fall to the ground.  
"Alright." He says, shifting. "Now it's my turn."  
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure, an unwelcome visitor has taken the notice of the new Kazekage.

*Timeskip*  
The sun sets lower into the sky and I perch silently among the top branches of a tree. I pull out some shuriken with wire, just in case. Sakura and Naruto hide not to far away I peer at them and notice their readiness. I think back to our first exersise, where we nearly failed at that concept. I whip the shuriken, letting out a low whistle as I do and manuver them towards Kakashi, who leaps away just in time. Naruto slings some kunai at him and he dodges, launching to a tree trunk. Kakashi leaps forward, lashing at Naruto with their kunai's in hand. Sakura and I reveal ourselves and leap to the ground with Naruto.  
"I'm going to teach you guys something." Kakashi says suddenly. I pull out a kunai, twirling it around my finger and deactivating my Sharingan for now. "Shinobi Tactical Knowledge Number 1: Tai-Jutsu." My eyes widen and I sling the kunai, activating my Sharingan again as Kakshi runs at us, fast as lightning. He moves for Naruto first. As Naruto flips into a tree, Sakura runs forward.  
"Gotcha!" She exclaims, intercepting Kakashi. Kakashi dodges, backing against a tree. He flips away as Sakura smashes her hand straight through, causing the tree to fall. I take this time to make my move.  
"Dont leave me out guys." I say with a smirk as I appear before Kakashi and throw a punch. He blocks, aiming a kick for my head. I duck, jumping as he swings his leg below me. I flip back before running back at him and leaping into the air.  
"Konoha Senpou!" I exclaim. Kakashi leans back and I smirk, kicking my leg farther out and revealing the kunai I had hidden in my ling pants. The kunai grazes Kakashi's mask barely ripping it and he grabs my ankle. Kakashi's eyes widen as I pull out another kunai from my jacket sleeve, laced with a weak and diluted poison. All the same, he'll pass out in about 5 minuets if he even takes so much as a scratch. He suddenly shoves me away and I fling the kunai, flipping so I am upright and skidding back as I land. Naruto makes several Kage Bunshin's above me and jumps into the action as Sakura approaches me from behind. Kakashi easily defeats several with simple punches and kicks, even throwing one into a tree. But I am startled at his next move.  
"Shadow Dance?" I murmur as bandages wrap around three clones. He flips them, slamming them into the ground with ease. The image of a green clad boy flashes through my mind.  
_Lee-san..._

"So, where's the real one?" Kakashi asks, looking around. Naruto leaps from the bushes and runs at our Sensei. I face palm at his hand symbol.  
"Damn that Naruto. Always making jokes." I mutter. Sakura sighs beside me, hanging her head. Kakashi leaps away and I give a small nod to Sakura, not taking my eyes off of Kakashi.  
She jumps into the air and throws her foot out as Kakashi backs against another tree. She lets out a determined yell and her foot bullets for Kakashi. He rolls away with a majestic youth roll as Sakura breaks another tree. Kakashi makes a face, panting as sweat drops from his eyebrow.  
Naruto puts his fingers in a symbol.  
"Tajuu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He says, creating a mass of Shadow Clones.  
_No matter how many times I see this Jutsu the sheer ammount of them always surprises me. Thats my spazzy team mate!  
_The clones immediatly ensue in a Tai-Jutsu battle and I take this opportunity to do a little plan of my own. I look over at Sakura.  
"Sakura!" I call. She looks over at me as I henge into Naruto. She nods and does the same. We mix ourselves up among the crowd of Naruto's and I run forward, spitting senbon and then hiding back in the mix. Kakashi is able to dodge them again and I move to advance in a frontal attack. I throw a punch, poofing back to my normal form.  
"Take this, Kakashi-Sensei!" I yell, determination lacing my voice. Kakashi's eyes glisten over with shock before he grabs my arm, swinging me into several clones and then launching me over to a tree, I flip off of its trunck just as he dodges Sakura again. She moves back before slamming a Chakara filled fist into the ground again, causing the ground to break and erupt in a cloud of dust and dispersed clones.

"Now then, what should I do?" Kakashi mumbles.


	4. Meet Onmyo :)

**( Hey guys! I just wanted to say a quick apology for how long it took me to start getting these chapters out. It's been a pretty hectic week for me and its still spiraling downward. So anyway, enjoy the chapter!)**

As the sky darkens further, Sakura, Naruto and I walk through the training grounds in search of our Sensei who has unexpectadly dissapeared.  
"I'm pretty sure I heard the sound of bells from over here." Naruto says. Sakura's eyebrows furrow as I wipe dirt from my cheek.  
"There is a chance he may have rung them intentionally." She says. Naruto turns to me.  
"Can you see him, Kanami?" He asks. I give him a slow blink.  
"Naruto I have Sharingan. Not Byakugan." I say. Naruto sighs. "But I don't sense him nearby." I add.  
"Be careful." Sakura says. "This is Kakashi-Sensei after all." I nod, making sure to watch out of the corner of my eyes. I can still feel Tsunade and Shizune watching nearby but it seems that Jiraiya-samma has fallen asleep.  
I stop, putting my arm out to stop the others.  
"Hold on." I whisper. A figure imerges from the forest ahead. My eyes widen and eyebrows furrow as Sasuke looks up at me.  
_Sasuke... _Kunai and Shuriken protrude from his body and blood seeps from wounds, his own mouth included.  
"Sasuke!" Naruto and I mutter. Sakura's head snaps up slightly. "Sasuke-kun."|  
_No. This is all a Gen-Justu. _I think to myself. Sasukes form moves forward and I move my foot back.

"Kanami! Naruto! S-Sakura!" He stutters. "Please help me!" He gasps, limping forward. I grit my teeth behind closed lips. "I escaped from Orochimaru!" I shudder at the name and I notice Naruto pass a glance out of the corner of his eyes. I hate even the mention of that evil man's name. Its enough to give me nightmares, or to lash me back into awful memories. The Chuunin Exams and my Mental Breakdown play back in my mind. Sasuke's image flashes before me and I feel a prick behind my eyes. I will the tears not to fall. "Please help me!" Sakura and Naruto's heads bow slightly.  
"Please! Kanami, Sakura! Naruto!" Before the others can say a thing I put my hands in a symbol. "Kai!" I say monotonously. Sakura looks up as Sasuke's image shakes and flickers before dispersing.  
"We have no interest in illusions." I say. Naruto makes another Shadow Clone, readying a Rasengan. "Kakashi-Sensei's behind that tree, Naruto." Sakura says. I make a fist.  
"Go get 'em." I encourage.  
"Shit!" Kakashi mutters. Naruto runs forward. "Rasengan!" He slams his fist into the trunk of a thick tree and Kakashi backs away.  
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura calls. Kakashi turns his red gaze to her. "Huh?"  
"You have something to say to me, don't you? I didn't quite get it the first time." Sakura says. I take a step forward as Kakashi makes a strained face.

"Stealing your thunder! Shinobi Tactical Knowledge Number 2: Gen-Jutsu!" I say, holding my fingers up in a peace sign at my disgruntled Sensei. I poke my tongue out. We all shift our weight ration to our feet.  
"Kakashi-Sensei, you aren't putting enough into it." Sakura says, smirking. "There's no way we would fall for the same tricks again!" Naruto makes a cheerful fist.  
"Thats right!" He proclaims. I smile at their playful antics with the grey haired Jonin. He stands straighter.  
"No, not always the case." He says. Suddenly I notice two bells on the ground. Naruto's face brightens. "Sweet! He dropped the bells!"  
"Naruto, don-" I put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and she gives me a confused look. Kakashi smiles as Naruto gets caught in another noose by the ankle.

"See, at least Naruto will fall for the same-" He cuts off as Naruto dissapears. His eyes widen. "Eh?" He says quietly.  
"Theres no way I'm falling for that again!" Naruto declares, jumping up behind Kakashi only to be met with a Kawarimi. (Replacement) I move forward with Sakura and examine the log.  
"Damn!" Naruto mutters.  
Another battle quickly ensues as the sky darkens further and Kakashi narrows his eyes.  
"Shinobi Tactical Knowledge Number 3:..." I narrow my eyes, activating my Sharingan again. "Nin-Jutsu!" I gasp as Kakashi flashes through several fimiliar hand symbols. I grab Sakura and Naruto, pulling them to the left.  
"Move!" I exclaim. We all leap out of the way as a ball of fire rockets forward, doing damage to the nearby area and causing a smoke cloud to rise. I narrow my eyes as I notice Kakashi's absence. I stand, biting my lip. Sakura and Naruto watch me as they stand. I place my hand against the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" I say. A small puff of smoke rises and a fimiliar looking brown dog in a blue Ninken appears before me.  
"Eh?!" Sakua and Naruto exclaim, pointing to the dog. "You can summon stuff?!" I turn to them, rubbing my neck. "Yeah I asked Sensei to teach me." I say. I turn back to the dog, crouching before it.  
"Sup, Pakkun?"

"EH?!" Naruto exclaims. I hold up my hand and Pakkun gives me a doggy high-five.  
"Good to see you, Kanami. Was there something you need?" I nod. "I need you to get Onmyo and track Kakashi by his smell. Then report back to me. But by all means, DO NOT ENGAGE COMBAT." I say. Pakkun nods.  
"Understood, be right back." Pakkun dissapears in a puff of smoke. Naruto raises an eyebrow.  
"Who's Onmyo?" He asks. I flick my hair over my shoulder. "I'll introduc you guys later. Right now we need to find a place to rest." Sakura and Naruto nod and we move into the trees, stopping to get some of our scratches healed. The ground trembles as trace ammounts of water flush into the area, I ignore it. "But even Kakashi-Sensei has to have a weakness." Sakura says I nod when suddenly Naruto snickers.  
"Sakura-san. If you think back to our time with Kakashi-Sensei you'll see it." He says. I raise a wary eyebrow.  
"What?" I ask. "Kakashi-Sensei's weakness." Naruto states. My eyes widen slightly and my eyebrows lift. "Eh?"

Sakura leans on her hands. "Wuit stalling and tell us, Naruto!" She says excitedly. Naruto leans forward and whispers into mine and Sakura's ears.  
I snap my fingers. "Of course! Genious, Naruto!" I exclaim. Suddenly a hole forms in the ground and a large, black and white furred wolf with grey eyes climbs out. One of his ears is torn and a scar crosses his muzzle diagonally. Naruto and Sakura jump, frightened. I smile scooting forward.  
"Hey, Onmyo!" I say, greeting my partner happily. Omyo bows his head, accepting my ew petson his head. "Kanami." He says. Naruto points to Onmyo.  
"T-That's Onmyo?!" He stutters. I nod, turning over my shoulder to face him.

"Yeah. I found him about around the time you left, and we put him into Ninken training. He's been my partner ever since he was a small puppy." I say. Onmyo sits on his haunches.  
"Kakashi is about 50 meters north of here, behind a tree." He says. I nod, smiling.  
"Alright. We should get going. Dismiss Pakkun for me and then head right back here." Onmyo nods and dissapears back down the hole, his fur still stuck to my Chuunin vest.  
Sakura grins. "Lets go get Sensei."


	5. Bells Aquired

Naruto and Sakura stand while I wait for Onmyo to emerge fully from the ground. When he does, he shakes his fur out and I hop onto his back. Naruto makes a fist.  
"Lets go get Kakashi-Sensei." He says. I peer up at Onmyo (Him being about Akamaru's size now), wanting so badly to sink into his soft fur.  
"Onmyo, can you take us to where you saw Kakashi-Sensei?" I ask. Onmyo nods. "Of course." He replys, his gruff voice filled with kindness.

Kakashi stands, able to smell us as we leap at him. I burst through the bushes on Onmyo who lets out a low growl and Kakashi's eyes widen slightly. Him having not met Onmyo, it certainly must have been a sight for him. Naruto leaps down from above me.  
"Your underestimating me!" Kakashi says, back against a tree. "I can't believe your attacking me head-on like this!" I smirk.  
Kakashi's eyes narrow.  
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto calls. My Sensei's gaze switches to him. "At the end of Makeout Tactics..." Kakashi freezes.  
"What?!"  
"Actually, the main character? He..." Kakashi's hands dart to his ears.  
"Spoilers! No!" He snaps his eyes shut as he will be able to read Naruto's lips. I smirk, hopping off of Onmyo and grabbing a bell. Naruto and Sakura do the same. He opens his eyes slowly and feels his pockets as I stick my tongue out, holding up my bell.  
"Gotcha, Kakashi-Sensei." I say victoriously.  
Naruto chuckles. " A ninja must read what is underneath the underneath." He says.  
"Right, Sensei?" Sakura finishes, holding up a peace sign. Kakashi lifts a hand to his forehead." You got me."  
I bust into a fit of laughter with Sakura, Naruto following suit. Meanwhile, Garra falls into the hands of a dangerous and worthy adversary. Kankuro's face stricken with horror at the sight of Garra's crumbling face as he is carried off on a giant bird by a man with one arm.

"I can't believe I went down like that." Kakashi sighs. Naruto gives him a cheeky smile and I giggle slightly. Naruto then reveals his plan, mentioning how he didn't even read past 10 pages. I ruffle Onmyo's fur affectionatly, scratching behind his ear. Kakashi turns his gaze to me as Onmyo licks my face.  
"Kanami, where did you even learn to tame a wolf?" He asks, a small trece of shock lacing his voice. I smile, patting Onmyo's head and turning to Kakashi.  
"Well, I found him on my way back from a mission and he was just a tiny thing. So I took him in and eventually put him into Ninken Training." I reply. Sakura's eyes sparkle and she reaches up, petting Onmyo.  
"He's adorable!" She sqeaks. Onmyo bows his head, not used to so much attention. I point to each of my team mates.  
"Thats Sakura, and our Sensei Kakashi. And that kid over there is Naruto." Onmyo bows his head.  
"Pleased to meet you." He says. As Naruto and the others begin to converse, Onmyo peers down at me.

"Kanami. I sense a dark enegry eminating from Naruto... I have a bad feeling.." He murmurs, so as to not disturb the others. I look over at my laughing team mate.  
"Well. Thats because he has the Kyuubi sealed within him." I murmur back. Onmyo's ears prick up and he glances back at Naruto as him and Sakura joke around.  
"Could such a cheery boy really have the demon fox sealed within him?" He whispers. I nod. I hear footsteps approaching and turn as Tsunade and Shizune enter the area.  
"I see how you three have grown." She says, waling briskly towards us. Sakura smiles. "Master!"  
Tsunade stands before us, arms crossed.  
"Kakashi, is there anything you'd like to say?" Kakashi straightens.  
"Well, they did an excellent job stealing the bells from me." He says. I lift an eyebrow, looking from my Sensei back to Tsunade.  
"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asks. I nod.

"This is confusing." I sigh.  
Sizune steps forward. "What we're going to do with you three." I blanch.  
_What your going to... do with us?  
_Tsunade's face turns serious. "Uzumaki Naruto."  
"Eh?" I punch his arm lightly. "Anwser!" I hiss under my breath. Naruto straightens. "Oh! Yeah!"  
"Haruno Sakura."  
"Yes!"  
"Kanami Uchiha."  
"Hai!"

Tsunade smirks.  
"The three of you, and Hatake Kakashi. You four will form Team Kakashi from now on." My eyes sparkle and all doubt is erased immediatly.  
"Really?" I ask. Shizune nods. Naruto leans froward, scratching his cheek.  
"Hey so, uh... What does that mean?" He questions.  
"It means that the four of us will be teaming up on future missions." Kakashi says from behind me. Onmyo gently rests his head atop mine, as an act of congratulations without licking my entire body. We all turn to our Sensei. "Thats what it means." He says with a smile. "Unlike before we are no longer teacher and students. We'll work together as equil Konoha Shinobi. Got it?" We all smile.  
"Yeah! Got it!" Naruto says, determined and obviously pleased. I nod.  
"Same goes for me." I add.  
We all leave the training grounds as Tsunade and the others head back to Hokage Tower. My team and I walk through town as people bustle by.  
"My, you guys have certainly become stronger! I can't believe you actually got the bells." Kakashi says, his nose buried in the the nwe book he recieved only hours earlier.  
Naruto chuckles.

"I think I may have surpassed you, Kakashi-Sensei." He says hapilly. People shift ways as I ride on Onmyo beside them.  
"Don't act so High and Mighty!" Sakura says, excasperated with our energetic team mate already. I chuckle.  
"Well, I'm still young too. I recently developed an unbeileievable new technique and its totally-" Suddenly Naruto's stomach growls. As Naruto and Sakura move ahead, I peer down at Kakashi.  
"Say, Sensei..." I stare. Kakashi raises his eyebrows, allowing me to finish. "How old are you anywa-"  
"Come on, Kanami-chan!" Naruto calls. I look up.  
"Yeah alright!" I call. "Bye Sensei." I say with a smile and a small wave. Onmyo bounds after them.


	6. Gaara Kidnapped!

Onmyo sits quieetly outside Ichiraichu Ramen as ossan hands us our bowls.|  
"Arigato, Ossan!" I say, pulling my chopsticks apart.  
_I wonder what Honno is up too?..._

*A little while ago*  
Honno's POV:

"Garra!" I exclaim, watching as the sand dome protecting Garra expands slightly.  
_Something must have combusted in there. The blast would have forced the sand to expand...  
_I look up as something large suddenly falls from the sky.  
_What the hell?!  
_"What is that?!" Someone exclaims. I look behind me at Kankuro and then down at my students below me. I hurriedly form hand symbols.  
"Sabaku no sogi!" I slam my hands down onto the building beneath me and sand rises at a fast pace, forming a dome around the civilians. I reach some sand overhead the rest o the other Jonin as the bomb explodes.  
**_So this is the strength of th Akatsuki?  
_**_Kira, do you know them?  
__**They are the ones spoken about in todays meeting. Though I never imagined they'd go for the Ichibi... perhaps they do not know of my existence inside you?  
**__Kira lets keep it that way. We already have enough trouble as it is.  
__**I know that child, I'm here to help you.  
**__Pfft. 'Help' my ass.  
__**Ignorant buffoon! If you die so do I!  
**__My point exactly._

Back to Kanami's POV:

I quickly head up to the Uchiha compound, waving at Hinata as I pass the Hyuuga Compound along the way.  
I jump out of my vest and put on a T-shirt and shorts, hopping into bed. I pat beside me and Onmyo crawls up beside me, his head above mine.  
"I missed ya bud. I say, petting his side. He wags his tail.  
"I as well, Kanami." He says sleepily. We both yawn, falling asleep quickly.  
The next morning I walk beside Sakura on our way to recieve our mission. We were nearly run over by a decoder only moments before. As Naruto thn complained further about the C-Ranking mission we recieved she ran in again.  
"An urgent message from Sunagakure." She says, running past us and handing a decoded papaer to Tsunade.  
My eyes narrow. _Suna?... What's going on?_

Shixune and Iruka's eyes widen.  
"T-This is..." "No way!"  
Tsunade's eyes narrow. "What happened?" Naruto asks tentivly. Tsunade looks up, her eyes drifting to me for a moment.  
"Sunagakure's Kazekage has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki." She states. We stiffen, eyes widening.  
"Gaara!..." I murmur. _Then that means... Could Itachi-san have?...  
_Not much has been mentioned about the Akatsuki, not since Kakashi-Sensei was attacked. I always have drifting thoughts about my cousin... But I also watch Naruto in this situation, seeing as he was training for this very reason.  
"We have more information pretaining to the Akatsuki than thay do. That is why they requested assistance from us." Sakura glances at me out of the corner of her eyes and I stand frozen. Shizune turns to Tsunade.  
"Tsunade-samma, please dont tell me you mean to send Team Kakashi?!" She questions. I jolt out of my stupor and lean forwar, lifting my hands.

"Tsunade-samma, please! You have to send us!" I beg.  
"This is an emergency, Shizune. We don't have time to be picky. Besides, Kakashi has fought against the Akatsuki before." Tsunade argues.  
"That may be the case but..." Shizune says, trailing off.  
"Team Kakashi. I am assigning you a new mission." Tsunade says sternly. I straighten, eyes narrowing. " You are to go to Sunagakure, find out more on the situation, then send a report back to Konoha. You will also follow any of their orders and back them up as needed." She says.  
As soon as the breifing is finished, I fly out the door without waiting for the others and head to my home.  
_Damn it! Why now?!_

Honno's POV:

I run through the desert with a few other Jonin to form a pursuit team. My tiger leads us, running ahead. Suddenly he lets out a roar.  
"Kankuro is nearby!" I call back. "Find him as quickly as-" I cut off as a dark shape appears before me. I slowly make it out to a sprawled body.  
"Holy shit! Kankuro!" I exclaim, hurrying over. I take a look at him and asses the damage done. A large wound lay upon his chest and his pupperts are scattered.  
"Everyone gather his puppets." Someone says. I lift Kankuro's head gently into my lap and examine him further.  
My eyes widen.  
_He's been poisoned! He needs medical attention!  
_I quickly scoop up Kankuro, another Jonin helping me by distributing the weight between us. I curse under my breath as we all hurry back to the village.

Kanami's POV:

We hurry out of Konoha and head towards Sunagakure. On the way, we meet up with Temari who had left that morning.  
"Temari-san!" I call. She looks up, raising an eyebrow.  
"What are you guys doing?" She asks. I land beside her.  
"Come on, I'll explain on the way." I say.  
"Way where?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. I lower my gaze.  
"Suna..." Temari freezes for a moment before nodding and we continue forward. I summon Onmyo again and ride atop his back, hoping that the others don't fall behind.  
_Gaara... I'm on my way!_


	7. Saving a brother :)

As we run, the sky darkens and Naruto grows more impatient by the second. He suddenly speeds up, hurrying past us.  
"Naruto! Wait up! You need to stay with the-"  
"I can't take this!" He exclaims, cutting me off. I blink, surprised as Onmyo looks Naruto above us in the tree's.  
"I know why they're after Gaara and me. Sakura-chan, You know why too, dont you?" He says, looking down. "Its because of the Kyuubi sealed inside of me." Sakura and Temari make small noises of shock while Kakashi and I remain unphased, though my eyebrows turn upward in worry for my friend.  
Naruto clutches at his jacket, just over his heart. "Garra and I both have monsters inside of us. Thats what those guys are after! I..." As he leaps from another branch, the bark cracks, breaking away from the tree. "I hate it! They just see us as monsters! I can't stand the way they veiw us!"  
I look down at Onmyo's fur as Naruto goes on. His words piercing through my heart like a spear.

Something falls on my cheek and I stiffen slightly, looking up at my team mate as another tear flies back to Temari.  
_He's... crying... _I think that the only time I've ever seen him cry was... was way back on the Land of the Waves mission...  
*This is just a thing to show I'm going to referance 'A Delicate Leaf from a Grain of Sand'*

Naruto pulls me closer to him and I feel a tear land on my cheek.  
_He's... Crying? But... I don't think I've ever seen him cry..._

*This ends the referance.*  
I speed up slightly to catch up to my team mate and lean closer to Onmyo, holding onto his shoulders to keep me steady.  
"Onmyo, this will be your first time in Suna right?" I ask him. He nods, paw's thumping against the ground.  
"Yes, it will." He replys. I look up, his fur flying towards me.  
"Its mostly desert, as you can tell. Hopefully we wont hit a sand storm." I murmur into his ear. He flicks his ear and nods again.  
As the sky begins to lighten and we pack up our small camp, I notice Sakura has been taking alot of Soldir pills.  
_Relax... She knows what she's doing. She was taught directly under Tsunade-samma.  
_I leap beside Naruto, having dismissed Onmyo so he could rest up.  
Sakura soon joins us.  
"Naruto you've met him before right?" She asks. I turn to her and Naruto blinks. "Uchiha Itachi." Naruto makes a face and I turn back to the road ahead.  
"Kanami I hope I'm not intruding-"  
"No. Your within your rights. Besides... I couldnt forgive Itachi-kun after this... Not knowing that the group he belongs to has comit such a crime." I say, looking down slightly. Naruto turns to me and then to Sakura once more. Naruto and Sakura continue their conversation while I slow to reach Kakashi.

"Kakashi-Sensei. We're almost to the desert. I'm going to scout ahead." I say. Kakashi glances my way, nodding.  
"Be careful." He says. I nod, speeding ahead of Naruto and Sakura, who blink at my retreating form. I reach the desert and notice a large cloud in the distance.  
"Sandstorm..." I mutter. I turn back and wait a few minuets for the others to catch up. We quickly retreat into a small cave, much to Naruto's annoyance and prepair to wait the sandstorm out.  
While a few hundred miles away, a seal is being performed, and an Ichibi worn to the bone.  
We are soon able to travel and we sprint most of the way. I summon Onmyo once more and we make haste for the village.  
As we make it through the gate, shouts of joy from Jonin along the outskirts mix with nostalgia and I have to hold back tears. A set of Jonin leads us to the hospital as they explain Kankuro's situation where we start across the lobby. _Kankuro..._  
"Kankuro is in treatment room three-" They cut off as I spurr Onmyo ahead, leaping up the stairs and hopping off of him as we run into the room. I notice two elderly people standing with a medical squad before a bed.  
"Kankuro!" I exclaim, hurrying over. I take a look at his wounds and feel my eyes prick. I wipe them quickly as the others run into the room.

"Kankuro!" Naruto and Temari exclaim. Sakura and Temari run into the room while Naruto and Kakashi enter our veiw. Suddenly the elderly woman runs at Kakashi.  
"Curse you!" She exclaims. In a flash Naruto and I are blocking our Sensei from attack. Kakashi's eye is wide and confused.  
"Prepair yourself!" She exclaims. She moves to punch and I grab her hand, holding it tightly but not to much so. I suddenly notice a gril with dark hair in the room.  
"Honno-chan!" I exclaim. I duck as the woman goes to punch again and Honno runs over.  
"Chiyo-basamma!" She gasps, moving forward. kakashi holds up his hands as the woman rants about some 'White-Fang' guy.  
"Um, I'm not..." He is cut off as the elderly man steps forward, holding his arm out. Kakashi ducks behind naruto slightly, waving his hands in an attempt to calm the woman.  
I hurry over to Honno, engulfing her in a hug.  
"Honno-chan!" I exclaim. Honno laughs, nearly falling over. She pats my head.  
"Ok. Let me go now." She says sheepishly. I nod, and turn back to Kankuro.

"Right. We've got to deal with him anyway." I say. Suddenly Kankuro lets out a strangled, gutteral noise, clawing at his skin. Sweat pours from his forehead and drool hangs from his mouth.  
"Kankuro!" Baki mutters. Sakura and I throw our hair up into messy sort of Anko hair styles.  
"We'll look at him." Sakura says.  
"We're counting on you." Temari says. I turn to the others.  
"Mina, please back away and give Kankuro some space." I say, holding up my hands. Everyone nods, moving either into the hallway or to the walls. Onmyo sits beside Temari, laying his head on her lap. Sakura peers at his eyes and I notice the absence of his face paint. That purple stuff covered his face every day. It almost startles me seeing him like this. Kankuro's toes twitch in an almost nervous tendancy.

I open his mouth slightly and Sakura pokes her fingers in, examining his saliva.  
"Hey, who are you?" One of the medical members asks. Sakura looks up.  
"Konoha medical ninja's." She replys. It is true. I had been put through the same training as Sakura although I specialise better with poisons. I put my ear to Kankuro's chest and listen for his heartbeat.  
"Poison." I say. "Composed from heavy metals." Sakura nods. Kankuro twists and turns feverishly.  
"It is a kind that gets into the muscles and destroys the cells." I say. I turn to a medical ninja, who watches in awe. "Do you have the medical chart?" I ask. A man nods, handing me the chart.  
"It shows the poison's composition but it has blank spots." I nod, taking the chart. "I can fill those in." I turn to Sakura over my shoulder. "Sakura, I need you to remove the poison while I make an antidote." I say. Sakura nods, looking over my shoulder at the clip board.

"His cardiac muscles are being destroyed as we speak so it could stop functioning any time now." I nod, looking over at a medical ninja. "Do you have any medicinal herbs?" I ask. Two men nod, leading me hurriedly from the room while Sakura turns to the remaining people. As we enter a green house, I set up a station and examine the chart once more.  
"Its good to see these are working." I say, as I pick a small, dark plant. "What with this being a desert." I say. A medical ninja nods, gathering another herb. "Yes but it is difficult to grow some plants." I shake my head.

"Not at all, actually this is penty." I say, gathering the plants and begining the antidoe while another man works on a testing scroll.  
"Actually if this works, we'll have enough for 3 doses!" I say happily. As I continue working, I am aware that time is running low. Though I am confident in Sakura's skills. I end with a small vial of yellow liquid. I turn to the scroll.  
"Here goes." I murmur. I pour a single drop onto the scroll and the scroll hisses as the poison that was delivered to us decomposes and is destroyed. My eyes briten. "We did it!" I gasp happily. I hurry and pour the antidote into vials and rush back into the room. I find that Kankuro has regained consiousness and Onmyo is gone. I walk over to Kankuro and set down a cup and a small pitcher like vase looking thing. I pour some antidote into it as he looks at me, breathing heavilly.  
I put the cup to his lips. "You have to drink it all." I say, as he gags on the bitter taste of the antidote. He lets out a cough as I set the cup back down and turn to him.  
"You should be ok. Just take it easy until the trembling stops." Sakura says. I smile, taking my hair down. I sigh, sitting down on a chair and lifting a hand to my head. A medical ninja notices this.  
"Are you alright?" He asks. I nod.

"Im fine. Just tired is all... mostly relived." Honno comes over and hugs me. "Good job!" She gather are backpacks and ae about to leave when "Uzumaki Naruto." Kankuro strains. We all turn to him and blink, shocked. "Please take care of my brother!" Temari and the rest of us sand ninja do a double take while my eyes begin to water.  
"Leave it to me." Naruto says, smiling. I drop my bag and walk over to Kankuro, hugging him.  
"Damn it, don't make me cry!" I say. Sakura smiles and I grab my bag again. Suddenly I find myself following Baki to some available rooms while Sakura and Kakashi explain what I had missed.  
_What a week..._


	8. Uchiha blood boiling

Onmyo's POV (Cool! We get to be a wolf!):

I follow Pakkun through the forest, tracking the second male's scent detected on the scrap of Sasori's cloth. We stop at a cliff, below us a river and a cave blocked by a boulder.  
"I can detect Garra's scent inside. They'll probably notice if we get any closer." He growls quietly. Suddenly the tension in the area rises as an unsettling aura grows from the cave. I shrink back slightly, ears laying flat. Pakkun turns to me. "Onmyo? Whats wrong?" He asks. I cringe.  
"I sense a dark aura inside... and bloodlust..." I say quietly. Pakkun takes one last look at the rock before away. "Lets go report to Kakashi." He says. I nod.  
"Right behind you.

Kanami's POV:

I wake up in the morning and dress quickly, tying my Leaf headband around my neck. Sakura follows me hurriedly and we exit the building with the others. As we exit, I notice Honno nearby, her long hair blows in her face and she grumpilly moves it away with a pale hand.  
"Honno? Why are you here?" I ask. Honno looks towards the gate to the village.  
"I was told by my superiors to track down Sasori with you. I will be going a different rout and communicating with the earpieces." She says. I nod, making sure mine is on the right setting and clasped to my jacket tightly. Baki approaches from nearby.  
"I assume you are prepaired to leave?" He asks. We nod when I hear a small cackle above.  
"I'll be going as well." Lady Chiyo says, jumping from above.  
"Eh?!" S-She jumped!" Naruto says. We all lean away from her as she lands to avoid being hit. "Besides, I've been longing to see my grandson's cute face again..." She murmurs, eyes narrow.

"Honno-Sensei!" A small voice squeaks. I blink turning to watch as three Genin scurry over. I raise an eyebrow. The shortest of the group is a girl with dark black hair tinged red at the tips and tied behind her head, her bangs come over the top of her Sand forehead protector and falls over her right,dark green eye. The second shortest is another girl with wavy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, red facepaint covers her freckled face in a way similar to Baki's and a cloth hangs over her right eye, held in place by her forehead protector. The last is a boy with shaggy brown hair, similar to Kankuro's. He also wears facepaint except his is purple and it is only around his eyes, ending in a point half way down his face.  
"Sensei is it true you're leaving?" The boy asks, stopping before my cousin. I turn to Honno with wide eyes as my jaw drops.  
"Eh?! S-Sensei?! Your a Jonin already!" I gasp. Honno nods, rubbing her neck.  
"Uh, yeah. This is Kanaya," She points to the black haired girl. "Ayami and Roruko." She says, gesturing to the last two. Kanaya's eyes sparkle.  
"Wow! A Konoha Chuunin!" She says, awestruck. Roruko points to the Sand forehead protector on my arm.  
"Did you live here or something?" He asks. I nod. " A while ago, yes." I say. There is a clapping noise behind me as Kakashi gains our attention.  
"Alright, lets move." He says.

We leave the village with a hurried goodbye to Temari and I summon Onmyo, riding atop his back. Once we reach the forest, the others jump from tree to tree above me. I hear their conversation take a turn to the Akatsuki and I pay attention, though it is little. Lady Chiyo suddenly moves to Jinchuryki's.  
"It takes a lot of preparation to pull out a Bijuu once it's been sealed within someone." She says above. I let out a small gasp, eyes widening and my grip on Onmyo's shoulder's tightening slightly as I stiffen._  
Remove... a Bijuu?!  
_Onmyo peers at me from over his shoulder. "Kanami?" He asks me. I only focus on those words and I am so out of whack that I fail to notice the precence of another person in the area.  
I lift my hand to my earpiece.  
"H-Honno. How are things on your end?" I ask, stuttering slightly. Nothing happens for a moment.  
"Im fine. Are you ok? You sound nervous."  
"Beacause I'm terrified."  
"What? Why?" I gulp.  
"I think that... the Akatsuki are sucking the Ichibi out of Gaara." I say. I hear a small noise from Honno.  
"What?!" Suddenly static begins to overtake the call as we land in a clearing.  
"I... I'll contact you-" I stop as I notice the man ahead of me. I skid to a stop atop of Onmyo, eyes wide.  
"Mina! Stay back!" I exclaim. Kakashi freezes on a branch behind me.

"Kanami! Whats going on?!" Honno says urgently. My mouth goes dry. "Kanami anwser me damn it!"  
The man's dark ponytail flutters in the wind as his dark red gaze settles with mine.  
"It's been a while, Kanami-kun." He says. My eyebrows furrow.  
"I-Itachi..." I murmur.  
"KANAMI!" I wince as Honno yells into the phone.  
"H-Honno. I'll have to get back to you... We've got trouble."  
"Who?" I get off of Onmyo.  
"Uchiha... Itachi..." I murmur.  
"EH?! ITACHI-" Honno's voice cuts out and I curse. The others do a double take before leaping into the clearing.

Onmyo growls threateningly at Itachi, who eyes us all as another breeze blows past.  
_They had to send him, of all people!  
_I activate my Sharingan, moving in front of Naruto, who stands beside me. Emotion flashes in Itachi's eyes when he see's this... was that... Pride? Lady Chiyo watches me with wide eyes. "Anothr Uchiha member?" She murmurs. Naruto makes a noise.  
"Kanami..." He murmurs.  
"Kakashi-kun, Naruto-kun." Itachi says, his voice portraying no emotion.  
Naruto moves to the left, out from behind me.  
"Not just me, but Gaara too?!" He mutters. "Bastard." Itachi lifts a finger and I narrow my eyes. He points at Naruto.  
"It's time for you to come with me, Naruto-kun." He says. I move into a defensive stance. "Everyone! Don't look into his eyes or you're finished!" Kakashi says hurriedly. Naruto and Sakura grit their teeth, while Lady Chiyo looks over at Itachi as if studying him. "His Gen-Jutsu works through eye techniques and your own eyesight."  
I look over to Kakashi, who glances back at me. I pull out a kunai, shaking slightly. Sakura struggles to look at only Itachi's body and not his face, while I look him dead on. I whip my head towards Onmyo.  
"Onmyo!" With a bark, Onmyo leaps up, sucking in a breath. In a burst of breath, a dark purple gas expels from his mouth and creates a large cloud.  
"Cover your noses!" Kakashi calls. I whip out a bandana as Itachi steps from the gas. I narrow my eyes, wrapping the bandana around my mouth and nose. Chiyo goes on to explain the plan as Itachi moves forward.  
_Wait! It can't be hes... prepairing a Gen-Jutsu already?!_

"Its not as simple as that, Naruto. Normally that would be the case." Kakashi glances at me as he explains this.  
"So... what do we do?" I shift slightly, activating my Mangekyo.  
"I can counteract his Justu as long as possible, you guys can do the rest." I say. All but Kakashi does a double-take, even a small emotion shows on Itachi's face as he notices my eyes.  
"Very well, cousin."  
"Your not any cousin of mine... Not anymore." I move infront of the others, pulling out another kunai, acting as if to throw it. At the last second I spit senbon laced with a poison that will cause the body to become confused, sending the wrond Neurological signals to the wrong muscles. Itachi dodges them easily and I lean downward, running at him without breaking eye contact. Sakura gasps at my speed as I glare him in the eyes, pushing against the kunai he brandishes in defense. I leap back as he goes to hit me and I feel a strange pressure that I can not describe.  
_Damn! He's already started the Gen-Jutsu.  
_"Itachi. How bad is your eyesight." Kakashi states. I peer back at him, using my will power to push back against Itachi.  
"Eh?" Itachi makes a small noise as Kakashi lifts his forehead protector, startled that my Sensei had figured out his problem.  
I take my chance, rushing at him. I turn the kunai and aim for his side, as I vividly remember doing to a Sand Shinobi during the invasion of Konoha. Itachi is able to dodge last second and he aims another attack at me before leaning away. I turn to see Naruto leaping at me, a Rasengan at its full power. My eyes widen and I do a back-handspring away as he slams his fist into the earth.  
_No! Naruto!_ The Gen-Jutsu was a distraction from the start. Naruto was captured. Hook, line and Sinker.


	9. Gen-Justu confusion

Naruto suddenly stands, freezing on the spot. Itachi moves in to confront him and Kakashi moves to intercept. I run over, deactivating Mangekyo and switching back to normal Sharinagn, tackling Naruto to the ground. I pull him up, his weight unbearable and his eyes glossy. I run over to Lady Chiyo and Sakura, setting him down.  
"Onmyo, help Kakashi-Sensei!" I call. Onmyo nods, running forward with a howl. Sakura, Lady Chiyo and I kneel beside Naruto.  
"What do we do? He hasn't woken up or anything!" Sakura murmurs. I turn to Lady Chiyo.  
"Chiyo-basamma. You seem to know a lot. Is there anything we can do?" I ask. Chiyo nods.  
"Yes. If we force our Chakara into him, it will distrupt the flow of his own. That should stop the Gen-Jutsu." I nod, placing my hands on Naruto's chest. Sakura and Lady Chiyo put a hand on his shoulder and a hand on his back. I focus Chakara into Naruto's body, feeling a little dizzy. Suddenly he jolts, blinking rapidly. I help him stand.  
Kakashi skids backwards, looking over his shoulder.  
"Are you ok, Naruto?!" He calls. Naruto blinks.  
"What... was I?..." I put a hand to my head as a throbbing pain erupts. Suddenly the pressure from before returns, insistant on catching me in Itachi's hold. I push back against it.  
_No! I won't let that happen! _  
I wince, deactivating my Sharingan to hopefully stop the throbbing. It doesnt help. I stager slighty, lifting my other hand. Naruto moves to help Kakashi while Sakura gives me a worried look.  
"Kanami?" She asks. I squint my eyes shut, the bandana falling from my face.

When I look up again, the same scenario as before plays out except the throbbing is gone. Suddenly I feel my skin peel away as the others desintigrate, leaving Itachi. I gasp, looking down at my cheek.  
"Its been a while, Kanami." I let out a scream as Orochimaru's face conforms atop my left. My hand suddenly moves to my throat. "I should kill you, seeing as you are no use to me. I should have long ago." I gasp, blood trickling from my lip. My curse mark throbs.  
"Kanami..." My eyes widen as Sasuke's head grows from my neck. "Why didnt you help me, Kanami?"  
"S-Sasuke!" I mutter. I feel a gut wrenching pain as Kakashi's head forms on my arm, glaring at me.  
"You weren't able to protect your friends. I'm dissapointed." He says. I cough up some bile, tears streaming from my cheeks Sakura's head forms on my other arm.  
"Why, Kanami. Why didn't you find Sasuke?" She glares daggers at me with her green eyes.  
"Sakura... Sensei!" I murmur.  
"You..." I gasp, moving my other hand away from the one attempting to strangle me. "Your weak." Naruto says. "Weaker than me. Than Sakura. Than Sasuke." Tears stream from my eyes down my face.  
_This is an illusion... I know it is! _  
"Die!" Orochimaru mutters coldly.  
"Weakling."  
"I'm dissapointed."  
"Why, Kanami?"  
_Kakashi... Sasuke... Sakura... And that damn Orochimaru!_

I curse, closing my eyes.  
Suddenly I jolt backward, a man lay dead in the dirt ahead and I feel two sets of hands on my back and shoulders.  
With wide eyes, I look around at my team mates and Lady Chiyo.  
"W-Wheres... Itachi?" I ask blankly, blinking at the bright sunlight.  
"Its not Itachi." Chiyo says. I snap my head towards her.  
"EH?!"  
Sakura hangs her head. "I'll explain later." She says quietly. I notice the absense of Onmyo and I look around. "Is Onmyo ok?" I ask. Kakashi nods and I sigh, heart still beating at 100 beats a second. There is the sound of static in my ear.  
"Ka...Kanami?! Kanami can you he...re me? Kanami do you copy?" Honno's voice echos into my headset.  
I lift my hand. "Y-Yeah... Loud and clear."  
"I met up with some other guys on my way, I think you'll all be pleased to see them." I raise an eyebrow.  
"Alright. We're getting ready to move soon." I reply.  
"Roger that." I still stare blankly into space.

Sakura gives me a light pat on the cheek.  
"Hey, you ok?" She asks. I nod, staring at her and then looking at my arm, where her head had formed moments ago. I reach a shaky hand up to my face, trailing it over my sarred eye and, to my relief, my own right eye. I shake my head, eyes narrowing.  
"Im fine. Lets get moving." With a nod, we all continue on our way. Sakura explains the current situation to me.  
"N-Nani!" I exclaim, looking forward. "Garra!..." I murmur. Sakura nods, looking forward.  
"Don't worry Kanami. We'll save Gaara." I nod, though I suddenly have my doubts. We soon stop as it nears twilight and rest for a while. I sigh, laying down on the grass without my sleeping bag and I fall asleep quickly.


	10. Finding Seals

I soon awaken as grass tickles my nose. I sneeze, rubbing my nose and sitting up. Lady Chiyo glances at me before turning back to the fire. I sit up, lloking around and rubbing my eyes. I suddenly notice the large wolf beside me.  
"Onmyo!" I whisper happily, throwing my arms around him. He licks my cheek affectionatly. I give him a worried look. "You should rest, you've done a lot." I say, looking him in the eyes. He bows his head.  
"Forgive me, Kanami. But I feel that I may be able to help on this mission, and I worry about you du to the dangerous nature of th Akatsuki." He growls quietly at the name. I sigh.  
"Fine. Just take it easy for a while, ok?" He nods and I lay my head on his side. He curls slightly and his tail wags , hitting my side gently.  
_Your so warm... and Soft...  
_I smile into his fur and rest for a while, lipping over to gaze at the stars. Kakashi leaps down from a tree a few minuets later.  
"Wake up, you two." He says as I sit up, brushing wolf fur off of my clothing and out of my hair. Sakura sits up sleepily and I help her pack her things. Naruto bolts upright a few seconds later, scurrying around to gather his things.  
As we hurry through the tree's Naruto becomes increasingly impatient, his eyes switching to their red color and his hair getting scruffier. I hurry along on the ground, Onmyo insisting on carrying me.

His movements soon become quicker and more animal like, more agile as he leaps through the trees. His back to us, Naruto surges ahead.  
"Naruto, wait!" Sakura calls. I sigh.  
_That boy...  
_I lift my hand to my ear piece.  
"Honno, come in." I say quietly.  
"Roger, what is it, Kanami?" Honno asks. "What is your current position?" I question. There is silence for a moment.  
"Pakuun says it won't be long now until we reach the hideout."  
"Alright. Over and out."  
"Later."  
I narrow my eyes as Onmyo's paws beat against the ground, causing small tremors.  
Onmyo looks up.  
"Get ready to land on water." He calls. The others nod and we burst through the bushes, landing on a river of water. I notice Honno ahead with who seams to be...  
"Gai-Sensei!" Sakura says, eyes sparkling.  
"Lee! Tenten! Neji!" I say hapilly.  
Honno smirks, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder.  
They smile at us and Lee's face brighten's when he see's Naruto. "Naruto-kun! Sakura-san! Kanami-san!" he says, obviously pleased.  
_Honno was right, this made my day.  
_Tenten seems a bit wary of Onmyo, but he struts up to her and puts his paws on her shoulers, knocking me off. He licks her face and she just blinks, giggling. I stand, dusting myself off with a chuckle as Onmyo gives me an apologetic look.

"Hey, Kakashi. You weren't talking about me were you?" Lady Chiyo jokes.  
"Hey!" Naruto says, eyes red and filled with anger. Neji makes a face.  
I peer up at the boulder. "So, this is it?" I ask. Gai nods, turning to the tag stuck to it.  
Neji uses his Byakugan, but seems to have trouble seeing inside.  
"I can't get a very good image of what's inside..." He says. " Its eems there are some people there..." Naruto looks over at Neji.  
"Neji, is Gaara... What happened to Gaara?" He asks, growing more impatient.  
Neji suddenly makes a face.  
"W-What is that?..." I make a worried face.  
"Neji, what is it? Whats going on?" I ask, worry drifting through my voice. I gust of wind blows my hair aside. Neji looks down, frowning.  
"Its... hard for me to explain..." I turn to the boulder, eyes dull with worry.  
_Oh Gaara.  
_Honno curses, head snapping to the seal. After a failed attempt from Gai to smash the boulder, the examine the seal further, concuring that there are four other seals around the area. Team Gai hooks up their mic's, and heads ot to rip them off. Once they are removed, Sakura is to break the boulder. We enter with a button hook entry.  
Gai puts his hand in the center, motioning for Lee to do the same. Lee obliges. Gai turns to Tenten, wh shrinks back.  
"Hmmgh!" Tenten sighs. "Okay, Okay..." With a small chuckle, Gai turns to Neji.  
"Hmmmmmm..." Neji stares at him like he's crazy. I have to do my best to hold back laughter.  
"HMMMMM HMMMMM HMMMMNMNMMMMMMM HMM... Hmhmhm..." Several birds fly away in the distance as Neji reluctantly puts his hand in.  
"Alright! Team Gai, fight with full power and Youth!" Gai exclaims. "Fight! Fight! Fight! And another, Fight!" He exclaims. I blanch, holding my stomach. "Now!" They all disssapear. Naruto fist pumps.  
"Hey, Hey! How 'bout we do it too?" He asks. Sakura crosses her arms.  
"I'd rather die."  
"Agrees." Kakashi and Honno say monotonusly.  
"Fool." Chiyo scolds. I smirk, walking over to Naruto. I grab his head, giving him a noogie.  
"Nice try, Baka." I say.  
Static surges through my ear as Sakura moves away from the group.

"This is Neji, I've found my seal."  
"Tenten, seal in sight."  
"Lee here, I've found mine as well."  
"Alright, here's mine." Gai says. "Alright, on three. Ready, Kakashi?" Kakashi nods, talking into the earpiece.  
"Yes." He replys.  
"Alright! One..." I tense, backing away from the stone. "Two..." Naruto stands beside me, fumbling with his fingers, obviously itching to save Gaara. "Three!"  
"Shannnaro!"


	11. Master-Sasori and Deidara

As Kakashi leaps away from the rock, 'Forbidden' Seal in hand, Sakura runs forward. She raises her fist.  
"Shannaro!" She yells, slamming her fist into the rock. It bursts, crumbling to bits. I step to the side as a small boulder nearly crushes me.  
_Gaara...  
_Kakashi flicks his fingers and we leap into the room, sticking to the walls nearby.  
Our eyes widen at the sight before us and Honno stiffens. I let out a strangled wail.  
"Gaara!"  
Lady Chiyo's jaw dropps as she stares in horror ahead of us. A man with long, blonde hair tied back sits with a man with a covered face and cold eyes. They sit upon Gaara's body, his face crumbled. Honnoe's eyes narrow and Naruto begins shaking.  
"So, then. I wonder which is the Jinchuryki?" The blonde says. Naruto's eyes blaze with rage as his eyes turn red, teeth elongating.  
"You bastar-"  
"I'll fucking kill you..." I blink, turning to honno with tears in my eyes. Her once dark eyes now blaze a bright blue, her hair growing shaggy and her already sharpened teeth elongating slightly. I step towards her.  
"Honno?" I reach out to touch her shoulder and yelp as my hand sears with a burning pain. I stagger back, eyes wide.  
"What the..." I murmur. I look shakilly down at my slightly singes hand.  
"My my! What have we here?" The blonde says, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"It seems we have _two _Jinchuryki here."  
My head snaps from him to Honno as she lets out a low growl. Onmyo shrinks away from her, ears flattened against his head. Naruto clenches his fists.  
"You son of a bitch! Where the hell do you think you're sitting!" He exclaims angrilly. The blonde smirks.  
"Hm. Itachi described him quite accuratley. Though he didn't mention the girl." I tense, holding my burnt hand to my chest.  
_Itachi...  
_"You get it don't you?" The blonde says. "He's been dead for a while." He reaches down and smacks Gaara's cheek lightly. Naruto and Honno's eye flash in a deadly glare as they grit their teeth angrilly. Sakura turns to them, wide eyed as Onmyo dissapears with a puff, unable to handle the tension. Naruto moves forward with an angry yell but Kakashi blocks him, side stepping ahead of the raging boy.

Honno's POV:

THOSE BASTARDS! ILL FUCKING KILL THEIR ASSES!  
**You want to save your friend I know, but acting rashly will get you kill-  
**SHUT THE FUCK UP KIRA! IM NOT IN THE DAMN MOOD  
**Child. You know that you'll snap. You will use my power against them. You know it, though you do not with to admit it.  
**Kira I swear to god if I let you take over and you kill somebody besides them I'm going to-  
**What? Kill yourself? Honestly child you've done enough bad things already. Besides I don't think you have the courage to kill yourself.  
**Kira, this is why I get angry with you sometimes.  
**For telling the truth? I dont seem to see how that works.  
**Kira shut the hell up.

Kanami's POV:

Suddenly Honno's mic snaps, causing a small flare of ringing to erupt in our ears for a moment. It crumbles to the ground, useless.  
The other man glances down at Gaara. The blonde blinks, turning to him.

" What's wrong, Master-Sasori?" He asks.  
_So thats... Chiyo-baasamma's grandson?_  
"Which will you take?" The man asks, his gruff voice startling me.  
"Hm. You might get pissed at me for saying this but... Well I was thinking about taking just girlie but, heck why not both?" He reply's. "I mean, since they wanna take him back so much." A black Chakara whisp float's away from Honno's body and I stare at her.  
The other man's eyes narrow.  
"Hey, your lucky to even have another chance at one. Don't get so cocky, Deidara."  
"With art you must constantly seek greater and greater stimulation. Or your apreciation for it will dull." He looks at his hand and I am discusted to see a mouth upon it. "I've heard that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is pretty powerful. You know, I wonder which one she is?" He says, looking up at an enraged Honno. "But besides the point, they'll be perfect for my art. Un."

The man's cold eyes watch Deidara carefully.  
"What? You call those explosions 'art'?" He says, casually holding this conversation before his own enemy. I take this time to heal my hand." Art is something that endures the test of time beautifully and gracefully. True art is eternal beauty." I look up at this, eyes narrowing.  
_What? Eternal.. Eternal beauty?  
_I suddenly notice something off on the man's body. I activate my Sharingan in the dark of the cave.  
_Is that a.. hinge?  
_Naruto grows more and more impatient by the second.  
"Eternal Beauty?" Deidara scoffs. "master, I respect you as a felow artist, but art is something that blossoms for an instant before withering away.  
"What did you say?"

Sakura blinks. "W-Whats up with them?" She murmurs. Suddenly I notice a large shuriken go flying.  
"Stop screwing with us!" Naruto exclaims. I gasp as a large... something, knocks the shuriken away from beneath Sasori's cloak. The two men continue to have their seemingly friendly argument, unphased by Naruto's attack.  
_He... Didn't even look at it!  
_Deidara suddenly stands. "To me the essence of art is..." He pauses, moulding something in his hand. "Explosions!" He throws a small clay bird int the air and I deactivate my Sharingan, taking a step back to avoid a possible blast. He lifts two fingers to his face and there is a puff as the bird becomes larger, and is able to move freely. The bird lets out a small caw, scooping Gaara up in its mouth as we watch with wide eyes.  
"It's completely different than you're silly puppet shows." Deidara comments. I na flash, his is in the air and on the bird. I just now notice the absense of an arm. "Later, Master!" He calls down. Honno and Naruto's eyebrows furrow as they follow Deidara's movements carefully. He starts for the entrance to the cave and suddenly the tension rises. Naruto suddenly runs for the eit, much to our disbelief. Honno follows en suit. Sakura gasps.  
"Wait, damn you!" Naruto yells. Honno catches up to him easilly.  
"I won't let you get away!" She yells.  
"Honno! Naruto!" I call. Gai's voice comes over the ear piece. It sounds as if he's fighting. Kakashi hurries after the two Jinchuuriki.  
"Kanami... What's wrong? HYA!" I gaze out the exit with wide eyes before lifting a finger to my headset.

"Gai-Sensei... We may have a problem..." I say quietly. Neji's voice vomes over the mic next.  
"What do you mean? What is the trouble?" I turn to Sakura with wide eyes.  
"Well... Honno's a Jinchuuriki..." Gai makes a small noise through the mic. " And she, Naruto and Kakashi just ran off after this guy who took Gaara... And now its me, Lady Chiyo and Sakura against this Sasori guy."  
"Do your best and fight with full power and youth!" Lee exclaims through the headset. "Konoha Senpou!"  
I raise an eyebrow. "What's going on over there?" I ask.  
"Take this!... Don't worry Kanami, we'll be able to help soon." Tenten says. I nod.  
"Roger, over and out."


	12. SO YEAH DOUBLE JINCHUURIKI

**(A/N: Ok guys, I'm sooo sorry I didn't get this chapter out for a while. I had it written but I haven't been able to use my computer until today because my grades have begun to drop. But, Here's the next chapter and I really hope you like it! :D )**

Sakura swallows nervously beside me as I shift closer to her.  
"Sakura, Kanami. Don't be frightened." Lady Chiyo says. I peer around sakura at her. "I'll fight him. You stay back." My eyebrows furrow.  
"But, Chiyo-baasamma-"  
"Do not worry about an old hag like me." She cuts me off, placing her hands in her sleeves. She spreads her arms to reveal kunai attatched to wire. "Sou Shuu Jin!" She says laoudly, Chakara encasing the kunai's momentarilly before launching at Sasori. He blocks with the weird tail thing but the kunai are able to scratch at his cloak.  
"If you're going to oppose me, I have no choice." Sasori says. I stand beside Sakura, watching intently as Sasori rips at his cloak, allowing him to move about more.  
"Will you become a part of my collection along with those brats, Grandma Chiyo?" I narrow my eyes, stepping forward.  
"Chiyo-baasamma. I cannot stand by in this fight." I say. Sakura nods, stepping forward. "We're helping."

I examine the large mask-like structure on Sasori's back, where the tail protrudes from. A large wooden gauntlet is set upon his left arm.  
"W-What is that?" Sakura asks, eyebrows furrowed. I narrow my eyes as they switch to the blood red of my Kekkei Genkai. Sasori's eyes shift to me.  
"What's this? A mini Itachi? How intruiging." He mutters. I clench my fists.  
"That isn't Sasori's real form." Chiyo states, I turn to her, eyebrows raised. Sakura looks at her from the corner of her eyes.  
"If thats true, then I see what you're getting at." She replys.  
_Its a... _"A puppet." I state. "I can see the hinges on some of his limbs."  
Chiyo nods.  
"But where's his real body then?" Sakura asks. I peek at Sasori, his bone-like tail swishes threateningly from side to side. I decide to do a small trick. I walk closer to the other two women, leaning close to them.  
"Hold on a second, act like I'm speaking with you." I whisper. Sakura nods and I make a Shadow Clone behind me. She grabs a scroll, biting her thumb. Drawing blood across the scroll, she presses it to the ground. Onmyo is summoned underground and creats a small tunnel, tracking Sasori's movement. The clone dissapears.  
"A puppet master usually pulls strings from behind." I say loudly, moving away from them.  
Chiyo gazes with a sad look in her eyes at her grandson's puppet.  
"His real body is inside."

Sakura lets out a sigh and my eyebrows furrow together.  
"Puppet masters are poor at close range fighting." Chiyo explains. "It's easy to leave openings when controling the puppet. In other words, that puppet is a way around that."  
_Thats genious... unless you can destroy the puppet, no one can lay a finger on you... Although I assume it uses a lot of Chakara.  
_"The puppet becomes their armour, as well as their weapon. That is Sasori's 18th puppet, Hiruko." I give her a weird look.  
"18th... Hiruko... What a strange name for a puppet." I say.  
"You recognise it, Chiyo-baasamma?" Sakura asks as a small breeze blows into the cave, swishing her hair forward. Lady Chiyo nods. "I know it well." Sasori's tail swishes violently.  
"Do you want to know how I add to my collection?" He asks, though I know our anwser wont matter. "First, I tear out the organs." My eyes widen.  
"Dont tell me thats... Thats a person!" I gasp.  
"Once I've washed it clean, I drain out all the blood. And after I make sure it wont decay, I add weapons and traps, making their addition official." Sakura makes a small noise, her head bobbing forward once. "Just as Grandma said, Hiruko is part of my collection." I grimace.  
"You sick bastard." I mutter. I fling some poisoned kunai at him and they are easilly deflected. The poison leeches into the rocky earth.  
"Hmm. Another poison user." He says. I ignore that and focus on the small things I have noticed on the ground wit my Sharingan. I smirk internally.  
_Hmph. The kunai were a diversion for the wire. Nice one, granny Chiyo._

Honno's POV:

I am absolutely seething with rage. Naruto and I speed after Deidara after Kakashi's attempt to suck Deidara into another demention fails.  
**_Kill Kill! I need blood! Kill him for what he's done!  
_**_Since when were you so... bloodthirsty?  
__**I have always been! But now I crave it more than ever!  
**__What are you doing?!... Can barely... Kira stop!  
__**Listen kid, me doing this helps us both out.  
**__KIRA!_

Kanami's POV:

"With you brats and Grandma Chiyo, I'll have exactly 301 puppets in my collection!" Sasori proclaims loudly. I shiver.  
_No thanks. I dont wanna be a puppet. _"This is my art." Sasori says, eyes narrowing.  
Chiyo goes on to explain the whole of Hiruko's story. Suddenly my neck throbs and I grimace with a small gutteral noise, lifting my hand to my shoulder.  
Sakura turns to me.  
"Kanami-chan, are you alright?" She asks. I nod, just as another throbbing pain courses through my body. I stagger.  
"Kanami!" Sakura hurries over, stablising me. "Is it the curse mark?" She asks. Chiyo raises a wary eyebrow as I lift my other hand to my cursed seal.  
"Well, I see Orochimaru is still gathering up experiments. But to waste it on a child?" My head jolts upward and Sakura's snaps forward.  
"What do you know about Orochimaru?!" I call, sweating from pain. Sasori seems pleased with himself.  
"He used to be part of the Akatsuki, and was my partner for a while. Until he went off on his own ambitions." He says. Sakura narrows her eyes.  
"I'm going to capture you and make you tell me everything you know about him." She says feircely. She guids me to a wall with a "Stay here."  
"First we must get past Hiruko to defeath him." Chiyo says. I wince, clutching at my shoulder. I start to try and numb the pain.  
"You guys are next for my collection." Sasori says darkly, the tail-like structure waving violently.

"Hiruko is a batle type puppet, but regardless we must separate it from Sasori." Chiyo says. Sakura turns to her.  
"So, what do we do?" She asks. I feel the pain from the curse mark begin to dull slightly.  
_Damn! Will this always happen when I'm near even the the most subtle of his precense's?  
_*Another referance from 'A Delicate Leaf from a Grain of Sand'*

I suddenly feel a flash of pain from my shoulder and I bring my hand up slowly, twisting my arm to make it appear as if it hurt from the frantic swimming.  
_What's with these pains?!_

*Referance/ Flashback end*

Chiyo and Sakura speak for a moment and I am aware of Onmyo beneath Sasori. Sakura turns to Sasori, determination flaring in her eyes.  
"Lets give it a shot." She says. Sasori lifts a hand to his mask.  
"Are you done yet? You know I hate to wait." He says darkly. Sakura pulls out a kunai, twisting it all fancy like, gripping it tightly in her hand. They both suddenly run forward and my eyes widen. I asses the situation with blood red eyes. My tome spin momentarilly, focusing on the battle.  
Sasori rips of the mask, revealing a puppet mouth. A great barrage of senbon shoot at the elderly woman and my teammate.  
"Be careful! Eek!" I let out a squeal, diving to the right to avoid the senbon as they either stick to the wall where I had been seconds before, or fall to the ground. The pain finally dulls and I stand, deciding to hang back so as to not get in the way. Sakura and Lady Chiyo skillbully dodge each senbon, not a single one grazing them. I pull out a kunai, blocking any ones that go astray and shoot towards me. I spit some of my own back at Hiruko's mouth, in a hope to jam the mechanism, though there is no poison laced in them at the moment. I suddenly hear a loud explosion outside along with a faint "Katsu!".

I turn my head ducking low and rolling out infront of the exit, I notice deidara in the air and I whip a few shuriken at him, dodging back behind the wall. Unfortunatly they do nothing. I lift a finger to my earpiece.  
"Kakashi-Sensei, are you alright?" I ask. There is the sound of faint crumbling in my ears.  
"Yeah, we're ok." Comes Kakashi's reply. I sigh.  
_Good.  
_"Team Gai, how are things going with you?" I ask. There is no reply for a moment and I begin to worry before Lee's voice comes through the earpiece.  
"We're alright here, Kanami-chan. Oof!" I hear a small tumbling sound. Tentens voice comes in with the sound of running water behind her.  
"How are you guys?" She asks, breathing heavily.  
I look back up at the fight.  
"We're- ONMYO NOW!" With a yell, Sakura slams her fist atop Hiruko's exoskeleton. Onmyo bursts upward from the ground with a bark, latching ont an arm and using his haunches to break the undercarage of the puppet. He hurries over to me after the landing.  
"Are you alright, Kanami?" He asks. I nod.  
"Kanami, what was that?!" Neji asks, urgency filling his voice.  
"Nothing, except gaining an advantage." I smirk. "Over and out."


	13. Christmas Special! :D

(A/N: Hey guys! So I know that Christmas is around the corner and I decided to do something different in this fanfic! Here's an all neeeew... CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! :D So if any of you guys reading this don't celebrate Christmas, I don't mean to offend you. You can skip right over this little chapter right here...Okay maybe not so little. What can I say? I got excited XD. But there is one person (She knows who she is) who is probably going to die as she reads this. XD Enjoy!)

I wander through the street's of Konoha, pulling my vest zipper up as a blast of cold air blows through. Children run past, bundled in coats and scarves of many layers, their mothers watching with kind eyes as they hurry down the street. I smile.  
_Konoha sure gets cold in the winter...  
_I reach my destination, finding Tenten, Sakura, Ino and Hinata waiting patiently for me in a cafe. I pull out a seat beside them.  
"What did you want to see me for?" I ask, thanking a waitress as she brings a round of hot green tea, on the house. Sakura puts her cup down.  
"Well, it's almost Christmas and we wanted to throw like... a party or something. This is our first Christmas with all of the 'Rookie 10'. Well... Exept Sasuke-kun...'" I nod, taking a sip of the tea.  
"Where did you guys wanna have this party?" I ask. Hinata perks up.

"Thats the thing. We're not quite sure where we're gonna have it..." She says, trailing off. Ino snaps her fingers.  
"What about!... No... Nevermind..." I scratch my cheek with a solitary finger.  
Hmmm... Something clicks in my brain and I brighten, looking out past the cloth separating the store from the town streets.  
"What about on top of the Hokage Rock Faces?!" I ask excitedly. Tenten sets her cup down, it being half empty.  
"Yeah! We'll have plenty of space, just tell everyone to be prepaired for cold weather." She explains. Ino nods.  
"It sound's like a good plan!" She agree's. Sakura and Hinata smile, nodding as well. I lift my cup to my lips, taking a drink.  
"So," I wipe my face on my sleeve."What are the details for this party?" I ask. Tenten turns to me.

"Like, a normal Christmas party but everyone brings a gift to exchange." She says. "And if we invite the 9 of us rookies plus the four Jonin... We should have an equil number. We could even invite Hokage-samma, Jiraiya-samma and Shizune-san." I blink.  
"That sounds like a lot of fun!" I say, eyes sparkling. "So, it's settled then?" I ask. Sakura nods.  
"I'd say that takes care of that. But... what about decorations?" I ask. Ino turns to Hinata.  
"We've got this." She says. Hinata nods, blushing and sipping her tea. I tap my chin.  
"So, when's it gonna be?" I ask. Tenten turns to Sakura.  
"We... didn't consider that..." She says. Sakura thinks for a moment before looking up.

"Shikamaru, Choji and Gai-Sensei are on a mission in the Land of the Wave right now... So by the time they get back I think we should have it a few day's after." She comments. "I should tell Tsunade-samma." I wave goodbye as Sakura stands, leaving the cafe. I turn to the others.  
"I guess thats our cue to leave." I comment. With smiles and friendly goodbyes, we stand, leaving the cafe and heading our seprate ways. I walk home, deep in thought.

"Hmmm... I'll get a gift for Kiba and Akamaru..." I murmur quietly. As I walk home, I notice that the clouds in the distance are grey. I raise an eyebrow, entering gratefully into my home. I move to my room and sit, taking a half an hour or so to catch up on some reading. I have been reading a absolutely wonderful fantacy story about a girl who types stories but she cant et anyone know because she's afraid she'll be judged. So she posts them online and right now she's in the middle of telling us a rather suspenseful part in a story through the main character's eyes. It's quite amazing actually, you should try it! Its called 'A Delicate Leaf from a Grain of Sand'. **(Lol shameless self promotion.)  
**I end up dosing off for a while and wake the next morning to the sounds of children running along the rooftops. I sit up and rub my eyes grogilly, heading downstairs for something to eat. I blink when I see Honno helping herself to some leftover Dango in my fridge.  
"Honno?... Am I awake?" I ask, pinching myself. I jolt. "Yeah. I'm awake... What the hell are you ding in my fridge? No.. How'd you get into my house?!" I ask, moving to my fruit basket and grabbing an apple. Honno gives me a cheeky grin, eating a piece of Dango.  
"Well, for starters, your door was open. And secondly, I was to lazy to buy some food so I decided to raid your fridge for breakfast." She says, smiling. I frown before chuckling and finishing my apple.

I move to the door and Honno follows.  
"I'll be right back, I need to head into town." I say. Honno nods, moving further into the compound with a wave.  
I scour shops, looking for something that might take Kiba's interests. I already bought Akamaru a nice dog toy I think he'll enjoy ripping to shreds once I've added some details. I stop near a shop as I notice a stone tablet with two wolfs carved into them, though one closely resembles Akamaru. The other reminds me greatly of Onmyo. I step into the store and peer at the price tag.  
"Something caught your eye?" The man at the counter asks. I peek at my wallet, finding I had just enough money for this and to still be able to afford necessity's. I nod, gently picking up the stone tablet, its beautiful carvings absolutely enchanting, and walk to the counter. The man gives me my reciept after ringing me up and gives me a small box to fit the tablet in, it comes with a small stand to hold it upright. I smile, leaving the store. "Arigato!" I call back, hurrying home. I shove the box under my bed for later and pull out the dog toy. With a few alterations, I make it look delightfully similar to Sakon and Ukon, the freak of nature Kiba had fought so long ago. I remember his and Akamaru's injury's and smile, happy that he had been alright. Then I remember his snoring when I stopped by to drop his flower off. I bust into a fit of laughter and hide the chew toy. I head out to do some measly D-Rank missions, planting rice and the likeing.  
After about 5 days is when everyone recieves the invitations to the party. I smile, heading to the top of the Hokage Monument and helping Tenten and Hinata set up. I rush home, grabbing the gifts and sealing them into a scroll for easy carrying. I arrive back to find a Christmas tree set up and lights littering the area high above our heads as the sky darkens. People begin to arrive moments later.

Sakura shows up wearing a Santa's hat and I myself am wearing a sleigh bell around my neck. I notice Honno and Lee talking nearby and I group the other rookies together. I make them all lean in.  
"Someone get some mistletoe." I whisper, gesturing to the somehow slightly flushed Honno. Kiba smirks, winking before leaping away. Moments later, he and Akamaru return with a heaping ammount of the plant. We all snicker, grabbing some and moving above our two comrads. I hold up my fingers.  
3...2...1... NOW! In a flurry of green we release the mistletoe over the entire party before hurrying back down and acting as if nothing happened. Shizune smirks before planting a kiss on Gai-Sensei's cheek, making him keel over in surprise. Tsunade kisses her own hand, in a funny joke and Kakashi kisses his beloved 'Flirting Paradise' book. I laugh as Lee gives Honno a quick peck on the cheek, making them both blush furiously and move quickly away from eachother. Honno glares daggers at me. Tenten kisses Neji's cheek and Neji makes a surprised yet flustered face. I laugh before I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn and find Kiba smirking. He holds something over my head and I peer upward. He shakes a bundle of mistletoe over my head and chuckle. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and Akamaru tackles me. I laugh, tumbling around with the now large dog. Hinata looks towards Naruto's back and blushes, poking her fingers together. Much to our suprise, Naruto gives Hinata a peck on the cheek bfore she keels over, a bright red flush across her normaly pale features. The sky darkens further and Tenten holds up her hands.  
"Okay! Any gifts you've got, exchange them!" She calls. I pull out my scroll, summoning the box and chew toy. I move over to where Kiba sits on a rock and pet Akamaru.  
"Here you go, Akamaru." I say, handing him the wrapped chew toy. Akamaru tears away the wrapping with his teeth before letting out a delighted bark and tearing into the Sakon and Ukon toy.

Kiba barks out a laugh. "Nice job with the weird lipstick. Adds a nice touch." He jokes I chuckle, handing him his gift. He hands me a small parcel of my own and a small bag. "Give that to Onmyo when you see him. I nod, pocketing the bag. I look at him.  
"Open on 3, ok? Ready... 3!" I say merrily. We both tear into our packages and Kiba smiles as he lifts up the stone tablet. "Wow! Thats super neat! Thanks, Kanami-chan!" He says, kissing my forehead. I smile, lifting my own gift out of the small box. A key with a silver chain strung through shines brightly in the light of the Christmas tree and hanging lights around us. I notice something engraved onto the the key and peer closer at it.  
_Home is where someone is thinking about you. _It reads. Kiba puts his arm around my shoulders, leaning close to my ear. The hair on my neck stands on end as his warm breath washes over my freezing cold ear. "I'll always be thinking about you. So don't forget where your home is, ok?" He says. I give him a watery smile before throwing my arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and I rest my head on his shoulder. "It's beautiful. I love it!"I murmur. Kiba smiles. "I knew you would." He says quietly. Akamaru leaps ontop of the chew toy, sending it flying in Tenten's direction. He gives chase, tackling it and gently bumping Tenten's foot with his tail. She looks down, smiling with a laugh as she puts on a pair of cat ears from Sakura. Sakura smirks, putting in a pair of light violet contacts.  
"Hey guys! I'm Neji!" She says happily, making a serious face. Neji throws on some Sharingan contacts.  
"And I'm Kanami." He says, seemingly more cheerful. He does some fancy hand symbol looking things before shooting his hands to his eyes. "Ah! They itch!" He exclaims, ripping the contacts from his eyes and putting them back in their box. Lee sprints around the group, a new pair of leg weights strapped over his old ones. Honno laughs happily, holding a small stuffed tiger, seemingly from Lee as her face is so red. Naruto pokes Hinata's shoulder, a pair of fox ears on his head. He makes a cat noise before Hinata smiles, attempting to not pass out as she holds a new jacket from Shikamaru as he accepts his own gift from Ino, a new pair of earings. Ino recieving some flowers in return. Choji feasts happily on some beef from Asuma who accepts Kurenai's discreet kiss on the cheek as gift enough and Kurenai wraps a necklace around her neck from Shizune.

There are so many gifts and happy faces that I cant even count. Thats when I notice a man on a toad approaching the group. I smile, throwing the necklace around my neck and standing.  
"We should join the others." I say. As we stand, a small white something flutters past my face. I look up as more drift down from the sky.  
"Snow?" I murmur. I hear a scuffing noise and turn to my left. My eyes widen as a figure appears in the continuously falling snow. Haku smiles at me, his shattered mask tied to his belt. I stop, turning to him as everyone enjoy's the snow. I give him a small smile and he fades away, his already somewhat transparent figure leaving us in peace, giving us his final gift. I smile as Kiba puts a hand on my shoulder.  
"You ok?" He asks. I turn to him, nodding.  
"Yeah. I'm alright." We join the group, happily prancing around in the snow.


	14. SANDAIME KAZEKAGE!

With a loud crash, Hiruko's body splits into a million pieces, his head rolling to the side. I smile slightly as a man donned in black leaps away from the remnants of his puppet.  
"Good going, Sakura!" I call, moving beside Lady Chiyo.  
_Now, I think it's time I joined the fight.  
_Lady Chiyo narrows her eyes and Sakura breathes heavily, her fist still atop the rocky earth. Sakura makes a small noise, lifting her fist from the ground as the figure stands.  
"So, you finally came out." Chiyo says in a superior tone of voice, though in the mix I can sence a small sentiment of regret and longing. "Come now its been 20 years... Let me get a good look at my grandsons face." She says. Sasori's hand twitches beneath the cloth and I narrow my eyes as I hear a clincking sound. I let out a small gasp as Hiruko's head launches into the air, flipping and shooting senbon at Sakura. Chiyo moves her arms in a practiced manner and Sakura flips backward, avoiding the metal as it sticks into the ground. Hiruko's head falls, breaking and Sakura moves into a ready stance. The figure that is Sasori stands.  
"As I thught." He says, his voice sounding surprisingly young. "Just what I'd expect from my grandma. No wonder the girl was able to dodge my attacks so easily." I narrow my eyes. "She had you, who could see right through them, controlling her with Chakara strings. Ontop of that, you used those kunai as a diversion to attach some onto Hiruko's tail. " Chiyo tilts her head.  
"Impressive, seeing as I suppressed the Chakara flow to the point of making them invisible." The figure turns and I stiffen.

"It wasnt that hard. After all, you're the one who taught me how to play with puppets." He lifts a hand to the cloth atop his head. Chiyo narrows her eyes. "But today the games come to an end!"  
"Thats the plan." Sasori replys, ripping off the cloth. My eyes widen.  
_But...Chiyo-baasamma said she hadn't seen him for twenty years!... How does he still look so young?!  
_Lady Chiyo and Sakura's eyes widen as sweat forms on my brow. Onmyo growls beside me.  
"What sort of trickery is this?" He mutters.  
"But honestly, do you think it'l be that simple? Grandma Chiyo?" Sasori asks with a chuckle. Sakura and I turn to Chiyo as she stares, astonished at her grandson's form.  
"What is the meaning of this?" She murmurs, eyes wide. "He looks the same... He hasn't aged a day!" I gasp, eyebrows furrowing. Sasori grins, revealing white teeth as his pinkish-grey eyes sparkling with amusement at our sheer horror. His red hair, shaggy from the cloth, swishes slightly as a breeze blows through the cave.  
"What's wrong, Chiyo-baasamma? Are you so choked up you can't even speak?" Onmyo growls again beside me, tense. "Thats ok. its our first reunion in 20 years."

"Sasori... You..." I tense, ready to move if need be.  
"Want to see what else I've got up my sleeve?" Sasori inquires. I know what the anwser will be regardless of our actuall wants. A scroll falls from Sasori's red clouded cloak and he holds it up for all to see. "This might be more shocking." He unfurls the scroll slightly. "He was one of the hardest to add to my collection." The scroll reads the number 3, with what seems to be summoning tags above it.  
"Three?" Sakura murmurs. Sasori grins slightly. "But, thats what makes him my favorite." I gasp, having learned of this ong ago.  
"Sakura get over here!" I call. She looks to me as Lady Chiyo's eyes widen more than ever. My own eyes widen and my eyebrows furrow together. The scroll glows purple before smoke erupts around Sasori, obstructing our veiw of him.  
"Th-Thats..." Chiyo trails off. "It cant be!" I finish. "Sakura hurry!" I call. Sakura leaps back towards us, putting distance between her and Sasori.  
"What? What's wrong?" Sakura asks, her gaze flicking from us to Sasori. I notice Sasori's eyes flick down to my Sand forehead protector and a small smirk appears on his face over his grin as he looks back to his grandmother. As the smoke clears, a puppet hovers before us, its eyes small and glazed over. His black hair swishes slightly over his shoulder.  
"Thats the... Sandaime Kazekage!" Chiyo gasps. My eyes narrow.  
"So it ws you..." I murmur. Sakura gasps, jolting her gaze back to Sasori. "The.. Third Kazekage?" She murmurs with wide eyes. Onmyo's ears perk slightly but his feral look does not change as he growls again and he tenses slightly.

Sasori lets out a cold laugh, gazing calmly at us as if expecting our emminent death. I lock my gaze on the puppet before me, expecting the worst.  
"Does this take you back, Grandma Chiyo?" Sasori mocks. Sakura looks back at Lady Chiyo.  
"Chiyo-baasamma... How can the Third Kazekage...?" She wonders, trailing off.  
"How terrible..." Lady Chiyo mutters. I turn my gaze to Sakura.  
"During my time at Sunagakure, there was a mysterious case spread throught the vilage. Even the small children knew of it." I say. Sakura makes a worried face. "20 years before my arrival, the Sandaime Kazekage mysteriously dissappeared. No trace of him was left... There was no body." Sakura's eyes widen and she turns her head slowly back to Sasori and the ouppet. "Investigation most likely continues in secret to this day."  
"Then..." Sakura trails off as amusement flickers once more through Sasori's eyes. Onmyo's ears flick in a surprised manner. "He was the most powerful Kazekage and we did all we could in an attempt to find him." Lady Chiyo says. "But... Sasori, you did it?!" Lady Chiyo confirms, astonished. Sasori makes a straight face. "So what?" He states calmly. "You're telling me that an old hag about to keel over is going to avenge him? How admirable." He mocks.

I ball my fists, nails making my skin white.  
"Even if I am retired and to die soon, I just have to remember the past." Lady Chiyo retorts. "I have too many regrets to die just yet. Especially when I see that my grandson has become a villan!" Chiyo narrows her eyes. "You have betrayed the village and have attacked three Kazekage!" I turn to her, a horrific look on my face.  
_Three?!  
_"Three?" Sakura murmurs, voicing my thoughts. Onmyo stiffens again, itching to get rid of Sasori.  
"Orochimaru may have been the one who killed Gaara's father, the Fourth Kazekage. But I know you're companions were the ones behind it!" I grit my teeth.  
_Thats right... The Sandaime Kazekage, then Gaara's father... now... Now Gaara!  
_I feel tears prick at my eyes again and I pray that they dont fall as I turn back to Sasori.  
_Gaara... I'll avenge you!_


	15. Sasori vs Sharingan to the 3rd degree

Lady Chiyo grimaces at Sasori. "And now Gaara... And even the Third!"  
"Easy. I don't know anything about the Fourth. I only have control over my own subordinates."  
_What? Is that how... Yuura...  
_"Given that he did the exact same as you, though. How can you say it's unrelated?" Lady Chiyo retorts. I nod. "You said it yourself, he was you're partner for a time." I add. Sasori narrows his eyes.  
"It is true that Orochimaru was my original Akatsuki partner, and that we accomplished a lot together." Sasori reply's. Sakura's eyes widen for a moment before narrowing and I grit my teeth together as a faint image of Sasuke appears before me, beside him, Orochimaru in the form of a Grass Ninja from the Chuunin Exams. His face is partially melted and reveals one yellow eye as he flicks his tongue in a snake-like manner.  
"You..." Sakura says suddenly, jolting me back to reality. Lady Chiyo's gaze flicks to a determined Sakura, her fists clenched. "If you worked with him, you must know all about Orochimaru. So as I said before..." She narrows her green eyes in detirmination. "I will capture you, and make you tell me all the information you have on him!" I smirk, moving forward to stand beside my friend.  
"I've got a lot of questions for you." I mutter darkly. Sasori smirks.  
"Sorry kid, I have to finish you three off and catch that Jinchuuriki." I narrow my eyes.  
"Sakura." I say. Sakura's head tilts towards me.

"I'll handle this from here. Get some rest." I say. Sakura makes a small noise as Onmyo joins us beside me. Sakura nods and I feel the strings arouns her libs shift to my own. Lady Chiyo narrows her eyes in determination as Sakura moves back.  
"I hate to keep people waiting." Sasori adds. I shift, pulling out a kunai.  
"Unfortunatly for you, I wont let you get past. Even if it costs me my life." I retort, rage and determination flareing through my eyes. Sasori shifts.  
"Well then. Lets do this." I activate my Sharingan once more as Sasori's hand lashes forward. The puppet of the infamous Sandaime Kazekage moves forward before flying at me. Lady Chiyo pulls me back and I lean away, dodging the puppet easilly. Sasori grins, easily manuvering the puppet again. "Shinea!"  
The puppets arm transforms and several poison laced blades protrude from the cnformed arm. I grimace, spitting poisoned senbon at Sasori. He ducks as I pull out a kunai.  
"He's fast!" Lady Chiyo and I exclaim in union. I move to block the blades when Hiruko's tail launches in front of me, blocking the attack. It snaps, and I leap backward. The tome of my eyes spin again, focusing once more. I grit my teeth.  
_It even destroyed Hiruko's tail?!_  
"Nice one, Grandma Chiyo." Sasori comments. "But how about this?!" With a lash, Sasori flings his arm around, causing the puppets left arm to open into small peices of wood. Summoning symbols have been painted on the inside and aim towards me.

"Oh no!" Lady Chiyo gasps. With a victorious yell Sasori activates the summoning symbols. My eyebrows furrow and eyes widen as several thousand hands reach out from the summoning tags and rocket towards me.  
_Too fast!_  
"Kanami!" Chiyo calls. The hands slam over me and Sakura gasps.  
"Kanami!"

Honno's POV:

_Whats happening to Kanami?! Something doesn't feel right.  
_**BLOOD KILL GRR! Yes yes thats nice, worry about you're cousin don't worry about what is happening. KILL!  
**_Kanami-chan..._

Kanami's POV:

Sasori makes a small sound and grits his teeth. I grit my teeth, my body conformed and twisted around the arms that have buryed themselves in the dirt. My eyebrows furrow as I notice the black markings along half of my body. The cursed seal. My body lets out a protest of pain as I shift slightly, untwisting myself.  
_How did I... dodge that?  
_Suddenly the area around me focuses better as a third tome appears in my blood red eyes. They all spin for a moment as I snake my way into a laying position. I let out a sigh, noticing that I am unharmed give or take a few scratches from the ground. Onmyo hurries over, wrenching arms away with his jaws, growling all the while at Sasori. When he fails to reach me, he turns and lunges for Sasori, spitting a plume of poison gas at him. Sasori's gaze flicks to him and onmyo is knocked aside by a large arm. "Onmyo!" I a yelp he skids across the rocky ground, a large gash created on his side. Sakura hurries over and inspects the wound. Seeing the poison, she grabs one of the extra antidotes I had made and injects him before healing the wound.  
_Now... We only have 3 left.  
_I grab one of the wooden arms, standing as the dust clears.  
"So then..." Sasori murmurs, flicking his pinky finger. I no longer feel the strings attatched to my limbs as I crash my way through the back of the cage-like structure on my own will. A plume of purple mist shoots from a hidden pipe and I grab a bandana as Chiyo grimaces.  
"Not good! Hold your breath!" She calls. I tie the bandana quickly and put my hands together, glareing at Sasori, who raises an eyebrow in curiosity.  
"Sabaku no sogi..." Sand rises slowly from the earth and envelopes in a dome around me. I force sand underground and create a tunnel to outside the cave. Crawling through it, I burst through the ground several feet away from the gas as the sand falls.

I run forward, shifting from left to right in an attempted fake out. I stop and throw my hands into a familiar symbol.  
"Katon Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" I exclaim, expelling a ball of fire at Sasori and his wretched puppet. I narrow my eyes as Sasori leaps away, puppet in tow. I feel my curse mark begin to receed and a throbbing pain erupts in my shoulder. I ignore it and focus on the battle at hand. I suddenly notice something rocketing towards me and move to dodge when something stops me. With a lurch I look to my feet to find none other than the puppet grasping firmly at my ankles. With wide eyes I gasp as rope ties around me, pulling me back into the fog. Lady Chiyo tries to pull me back and I squeeze my eyes shut. Sasori begins pulling me towards him. I pull out an explosive tag from my bag after a moment of struggling. As the tag explodes, I fly back and gasp for breath.  
I make a small gutteral noise as pain erupts in my shoulder and shockwaves down my body. I claw at my shoulder with my hands, wanting to be rid of this mark of the damned. I let out a wail and Sakura gasps, running over to me.  
"Kanami!"  
I feel light headed and another shockwave of pain rockets down my spine.  
I pass out.

Sasori's POV (Woah Akatsuki! :D):

"Oh?" I mutter. "Not bad."  
_Its a shame Orochimaru's seal took effect. I was actually looking forward to fighting her.  
_The girl and Chiyo-baa hurry over to the other one and rip last of the rope away from her and work to try and dull the pain. She'll most likely be up and running again soon if Chiyo-baa has anything to do with it. With a cough, the girl sits on her knees after about 10 minuets.  
"Are you alright, Kanami?" Chiyo asks. The girl nods, rubbing dirt from her chin.  
"Im.. Im alright." She stands and the wolf attempts to go to her from across the cave. The dark haired girl glares daggers at me with her dark, Uchiha eyes.  
_Definatly related to Itachi... I should ask him about her later._


	16. Cloaks of Demons

I grimace as I stand, remembering back to my time in Itachi's Gen-Jutsu.  
'You're weak.' Naruto had said. 'I should just kill you.' Orochimaru had said. They were right. I was weak. I couldn't even hold up a solid fight with this guy! Not this time.  
"Kanami you should-" I tense, pulling out a kunai with a determined gaze and cutting Sakura off.  
"Even if you blow away my limbs..." I mutter. Chiyo looks at me with a strange look and Sakura's eyes widen. "Even if you paralyze me with poison. I will capture you. I refuse to lose here!" I proclaim. "No matter what you come at me with, no matter the tricks up you're sleeve, I'll make you tell me about Orochimaru!" I switch to Mangekyo in an instant and rush forward. I smirk.  
_Fooled you.  
_I dissapear with a puff of smoke. Sasori makes a face and Sakura's head whips around.  
"Found you." I wrench my arm through the earth, latching onto Sasori's ankle. I tense before pulling him towards me. I break through the ground and aim a kick for his face, which he blocks, somehow slipping out of my grasp. I gaze at him, mortified.  
"You... No way..." I murmur. Sasori gives me a look of pure loathing and grits his teeth.  
"Well at least now you figure it out." He mutters dryly.

"Thats how... Oh my god..." I take a step away from him. "You're insane..." Lady Chiyo and Sakura give me the hairy eyeball of all looks and I ignore them, focusing on doing backhandsprings away from him while flinging kunai from my pants leg. Suddenly kunai are flying at Sakura and I. They land with a thunk on the cold floor as two figures erupt before us, Chiyo-baasamma holds scrolls in her hands a determined gaze set onto her elderly features.  
"A man should listen quietly when a woman speaks to him." She says coldly, eyes narrow. Sakura turns to me.  
"Kanami... What happened back there?" I shake my head.  
"He's a mad man." I murmur. Lady Chiyo looks down at me. "He's... He's a-"  
"Oh, those?" Sasori questions, interrupting me. Chiyo drops the scrolls gently.  
"The first puppets you ever created. Father..." The puppet on my left lifts its shaggy red head. "And Mother." The second lifts its head, long brown hair cascadeing down her shoulders. My eyes snap wide open.

_You mean those are his?!...  
_"What do you plan on doing with those?" Sasori questions, seemingly innocently. "I made those puppets. I know all their secrets. How stupid." Chiyo's eyes narrow.  
"I wonder about that."

*Timeskip*

After a long winded battle between the litteral puppet Sasori who uses puppets and his disturbing revilation on possible inside intel on Orochimaru, along with Chiyo becoming poisoned, we hurry away from Sasori's body to find the others.  
_A puppet who uses puppets?! Thats like... Sasori inception...  
_I gently draw my fingers over a new scar, after being stabbed painfuly by Sasori, I was lucky to have healed so well. I lift a hand to my ear.  
"Team Gai, do you copy?" I say urgently. "Are you alright?" There is static for a moment before sounds of combat kick in.  
"We're still tied up." Neji says, before leting out a yell and seemingly lashing for the enemy.  
"Hang in there. Neji, can you see where Naruto and Honno went?" I ask.  
Again there is static in my ears and sweat drips from my forehead onto the water below me.  
"It seem's you're heading in the right direction-Ack!" I look ahead and we all hurry forward as fast as our body will allow us, especially with Chiyo-baasamma injured._  
Determination and willpower alone are probably what's keeping the old girl standing...  
_I've dismissed Onmyo, letting him get patched up and checked for poison. I kinda hope Hanna is treating him.

I stop as I notice something odd in the distance.  
_Thats...!  
_"Kakashi-Sensei... Please don't push yourself." I mutter. Sakura looks to the sky and we hurry onward, moving with great haste. Static comes over my headset.  
"Kanami-san. We're on our way!" Lee says. I smile.  
"Glad to know everyone's safe. See you soon, over and out." I reply, shifting my hand back to my side.  
"Roger!" Tenten breaths, I smile again, turning to Sakura.  
"Team Gai is on the way." I say. She smiles. "Thats good to hear. For a lot of reasons." I nod, turning to the path ahead and flipping onto a tree trunk. Lady Chiyo does her best to keep up, even with Sakura helping her along. As we travel, I notice broken tree's and rocks all over the place. I narrow my eyes.  
_They came through here...  
_Suddenly something explodes to my right and I freeze, nearly falling off of a tree trunk. I turn to Sakura. "I'm going ahead." She nods and I speed off, hurrying in the direction of the cloud of dust. Suddenly a green vest comes flying at me and I have to stop myself before I knock Kakashi out of a tree.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" I hurry over to him, kneeling beside him, a clone of Naruto beside me. "Are you alright?" Kakashi nods.  
"Im fine... But thats no concern." He points below us. "That is." I follow his finger and gasp. "That is the Demon foxes cloak." He points a little to the left.  
"And she's going berzerk." I shift my gaze to my cousin, enveloped in black Chakara, 2 tails swish angrilly behind her.  
"Thats.. Honno and Naruto?" I murmur. "No way... This Chakara..." Suddenly Naruto's clone colapses beside me.  
"It.. Burns..." He says, trembling. Nearby, two other clones that hold Gaara in their grasp colapse as well. My eyes widen.  
_Gaara!  
_A flock of birds rises around us, attempting to flee the area. "What do we do?..." I ask. Suddenly I feel a pressure over my head. and I lift a hand. Kakashi turns to me.  
"Are you ok?" I nod.  
"I-Im fine... The tensions... G-Going to my head..." I hold my head in both hands, shaking it vigorously before sitting upright. "What do we do about those two?" I ask, shaking slightly. I always had a fear of Jinchuuriki in full form but I've never seen this before. Kakashi holds up a small slip of paper.  
"We need to use this to seal away that Chakara." I nod.  
"I'll go. You need rest." Kakashi's head snaps towards me. "I saw you use your new Sharingan." Naruto's clone disperses beside me and I wave away the smoke, plucking the paper from his grasp.  
"I'll be fine."

I leap into the clearing, Kakashi calling out for me to stay there. I land on a rock and Naruto whips around. I hold up my hands. "Easy Naruto. It's me." I say calmly. A shadow moves over me and I look up, gasping as Honno's figure flys towards me. I leap away as the rock explodes and flip onto the ground.  
_They're losing they're ability to think rationally... They can't tell friend from foe!  
_I narrow my eyes and grit my teeth. "Damn."


	17. Chiyo-baa- Arigato

**_(A/N: Ok just so you guys know_**** I like poured my heart into the end of this chapter and I actually kinda cried a bit so this chapter contains my emotional tears. Enjoy! :D)**

_I have to be extremely careful if Im trying to get close.  
_I peer at the 'Supress' seal on the paper and clutch it tightly between my index finger and thumb. Narrowing my eyes, I leap quickly from rock to rock, pushing the paper onto Naruto's forehead. I put my other hand in a symbol, ignoring the searing pain erupting from the nature of the Nine-Tails Chakara. The Chakara begins to disperse immediatly and I am aware of Honno approaching behind me. She pounces and I flip over her, landing behind her. She turns, aiming a claw for my face and I grab her hand, my fingers begin to sear as I push the paper through her black cloak and onto her forehead. I notice Naruto nearby, standing with the help of Kakashi, a hand on his head. Honno's eyes return to normal, almost relaxed as she staggers away from me. The Chakara disperses from around her and I pull one of her arms around me to stop her from falling.  
"Woah!" I mutter, pulling her over my shoulder.  
_Damn! Why is she so heavy?!_  
I pull her over to where Kakashi and Naruto kneel, setting her down gently beside Naruto. They both breath heavily, wiping their forehead. I gently cradle my singed hand, healing it.  
"Have you two calmed down now?" Kakashi asks briskly, worry still intoned in his voice. Sakura and Lady Chiyo leap into the clearing seconds later and I turn to face them while Honno sits up slightly, still breathing heavilly. Sakura lets out a sigh.

"We finaly caught up." She says, almost releaved.  
"S-Sakura-chan.." Naruto breaths.  
"C-Chiyo-baa!..." Honno crawls over to her, attempting to examine the elderly woman.  
"You did a good job finding us." Kakashi says. I cross my arms. "Its not hard when you leave the trail you guys left. Good lord it was easy." I say. Kakashi rubs his head and sighs. I look around.  
"So.. Where'd that Deidara guy go?" I wonder aloud. Sakura looks around and I fail to spot him.  
"So you guys... You guy him, huh?" Naruto asks, eyes droopy. Sakura nods. Lady Chiyo peers around.  
"It seems you guys are still having some trouble here." She says. Honno finally backs off, still concerned.  
"Unfortunatly." Comes Kakashi's reply. Chiyo turns to him.  
"What happened to Gaara?" She asks briskly. I look down at my knees, as do Honno and Naruto. Honno raises a shaky finger, pointing to the tree above us, where Garra sits limply. Lady Chiyo nods.  
"Alright." She says, eyes narrowed in a way. I suddenly hear the clang of metal on metal and I turn, eyes narrowing.

"Look's like Team Gai's here..." Kakashi says. I nod, standing.  
"We should do what we can to help." Sakura says, standing herself with Lady Chiyo in tow. We follow closely, though they are nearby.  
"Watch out! He's a long-range fighter who attacks with explosives!" Kakashi calls, eyebrows furrowed. I narrow my eyes.  
"Wait a minuet! If he attacks with explosive clay, if he swallows that...!" Kakashi's head jerks towards me and Honno grits her teeth. I put my hands in a symbol before placing them on the ground.  
Sand hurrys towards Team Gai and the Akatsuki member as he swallows the clay.  
"I'll show you my ultimate creation." Deidara mutters darkly. His body suddenly begins to inflate in places, pushing his body to the point where he no longer looks human. My eyes widen as Neji and his team leap away.  
"I won't make it in time!" I exclaim as the sand begins to rise around Deidara's feet.  
"Art is a blast." He rasps."Katsu!"

There is a flash of blinding light and I fall to the ground, sheilding my eyes.  
"They won't make it!" Sakura gasps.  
"Gaara!"  
"No!" Honno exclaims. Suddenly everything is in slow motion as a dimentional vortex opens, sucking the blast into it and allowing Team Gai to land safely beside us. Gai turns to us with wide eyes.  
"What's going on?" He asks. My head jolts to Kakashi.  
"Sensei!" I rush over to him as the vortex disperses, leaving us safe from harm. He keels over slightly and I stabilise him as he attempts to catch his breath.  
"What the heck did you do?" Sakura asks, wonder filling her voice. I look up at her. "He sucked the blast into another dimention." I explain. Sakura's jaw slackens.  
"Another dimention?" She wonders.  
"I dont really understand what happened but i guess that means we beat the enemy, right Tenten?" Lee asks, turning to his teammate. She leans away from him.  
"H-Hey dont ask me!" She says, eyebrows furrowed.  
"More importantly, is everyone alright?" Kakashi asks. Everyone nods.

"We should head back." I murmur. The two clones leap down with Gaara and Honno's eyes shift to her legs. I feel a prick behind my own and hold back tears. We all move to a nearby clearing where Sakura examines Gaara's body, attempting to confirm his physical health. Sakura stands shaking her head and I feel tears falling from my closed eyes. I clench my fists, tearing up grass in the process. Tenten puts a consoling hand on my shoulder and I hear Honno stalk off, a small sob escaping her lips. I hear a tree crash to the ground seconds later. There is silence as the wind blows through the clearing, bringing with it dozens of leaves. I hear Naruto's yells of protest in mumbles.  
_Why? Why Gaara of all people?! He... He was the Kazekage... He was... My friend... no... My brother!  
_Tears stream down my face as my head tilts forward, my hair falling over my shoulders and shadowing my eyes. I suddenly am aware of Lady Chiyo placing her hands atop Gaara's chest. Sakura protests while I am unable to move as Lady Chiyo commences the same ritual she used on me to hea my wound. One of my hands drifts back to the wound and I am aware of millions of people approaching the clearing.  
"Sakura and Kanami. Next time you should save someone dear to you, not some old hag. We are very similar. There arent many girls as chivilrous as you two around." I feel a slight tremor in my body.  
"You both will surpass your teacher as female ninja." She says.  
_Chiyo-baa..._

I am aware of the people from before in the clearing. My head snapps up as cheering rings out around the clearing. I am aware of Matsuri and another Sand Shinobi girl fangirling over Garra. I shoot up and tackle him.  
"Garra!" I murmur. He looks down at me, still in over all shock at what was even happening. I feel another body tackle him and am aware of Honno next to me. Matsuri and the other girl meanwhile continue to struggle to get past Temari, who still blocks the way. I sit up, wiping my face. Sakura holds the now passed Lady Chiyo in her arms, a foreboding look on her face. Gaara moves to stand and I keep him steady, Naruto helps pull him up. Gaara stands before Lady Chiyo with Naruto and closes his eyes.  
"Everyone, pray for Elder Chiyo."

Everyone has a moment of silence for the elderly kuinochi. I feel one last tear trail down my scratched face.  
_Elder Chiyo... Arigato... Thank you for everything.  
_Everyones eyes open and I smile.  
_You made no mistakes._


	18. Home again! :D

As we approach Sunagakure, I help Kankuro with Gaara, what with his body being stiff from... you know DYING.  
Gai-Sensei seems to not very much like having to practically drag Kakashi-Sensei through the desert. Its rather funny really.  
Cheers of joy suddenly erupt from the gates of the village as everyone notices their Kazekage has returned. Kankuro smirks.  
"Thats some homecoming." I smile.  
"Wow."  
"There's so many people!" Lee says happily, exited for his friends return. My smile widens. Suddenly a crowd of Shinobi and civilians alike race toward us, Baki breaking through them and approaching us.  
"I'm glad you're safe." He says, sounding sincere. Gaara nods. "Thanks to everyone here."  
After finally getting back to the village and holding a small funeral for Lady Chiyo, we walk towards the town gates.  
I chat happily with Honno and her students scurry over to greet her Sensei. Suddenly Honno is sent kareening to the ground. I peer down at her, Lee and Naruto all tangled up. Honno makes a face.  
"Get. Naruto. Off." I quicky pull Naruto up and Lee stands, helping Honno stand. Naruto rubs his head.

"You shouldn't be running around so much after a mission." I say, wagging a finger at him. He gives me a look.  
"I know. I know." He says, waving his hands. I notice Honno and Lee hurry by, both blushing furiously. I smirk, following them to the gates. Gaara shakes hands with Naruto, who gives him a cheeky grin. Honno and I give the Sand Siblings each a bear hug, knowing that we will miss them. Honno has been given permission work as a Konoha Shinobi and her students will be joining us on the way to Konoha. And so, with our final farewells, we bigin our long trek back to Konoha.  
All of us but Kakashi and Gai, who must support him on his walk home, walk briskly ahead.  
"You guys are too slow!" Tenten calls. We all stop for a moment, looking back at the two, before continuing our trek.  
"Hurry up!" Ayami calls.  
"H-Huh?! H-Hey what?!-"  
"What?" Neji wonders. We all look back to find Kakashi slumped over top of Gai's back. I blanch.  
_They're... grown men... Yeugh.  
_Kakashi looks like he does not want to be here at the current time. Although I find Neji's face hilarious, I cant bring myself to laugh at the moment. Lee seems to be over -thinking it.  
"I see! You're training aren't you?" He says enthusiastically. I blanch again. "It'll be quicker this way!" Gai calls. Suddenly Gai run's straight for us.

"Move, move, move, move, move!" We all keel out of the way, I myself standing on my tiptoes on one foot, waving my hands to keep myself from falling. They kick up a cloud of dust as they run past.  
"Can you guys keep up with me?" Gai calls back.  
_Running only makes it worse...  
_Lee moves his backpack to his chest and puts his hands at his sides, leaning over.  
"Honno."  
Honno blushes furiously, clutching her fists.  
"Hell no!" She says angrilly, still red. I snicker. Lee then proceeds to grab Naruto's backpack and speed off after his Sensei.

*Timeskip*

We trudge through the gates of Konoha after the over enthusiastic Gai and Lee. Neji makes a face again and I grin.  
"Um... Gai-Senpai..." Honno says, pointing to Kakashi. "Kakashi-Senpai is..." We all turn to face hr.  
"Senpai?" Tenten asks.  
Honno blanches.  
"I'm a Jonin remember. I can call him Senpai." She says dryly. I hang my head. "You're weird." Gai heads off to the hospital and Neji reports to Tsunade with the rest of his team. I start towards my home to repair the holes in my clothing. I am barely aware of dried blood on my Chuunin vest.  
"Kanami-Nee-san!" I turn at the sound of a voice and find Hatzuki hurrying over with Ikari and Kebukai.  
"Huh? What's up?" I ask. They all have wide eyes.  
"Are you ok?! You're covered in scratches and blood and stuff!" Kebukai exclaims. I nod.  
"I'm alright. Just had a pretty tough time on my mission is all." I say. I give them a wave.  
"I gotta go patch this up. Later!" I continue on my way through town, waving to familiar faces.

As I turn into the Uchiha compound, I notice a large, furry creature approaching me from my right. I smile.  
"Hey, Akamaru." I say happily, patting the large dog's head. He licks my face and I chuckle, standing.  
"Hey, Kiba." I say. Kiba walks towards me, eyeing my scratches and scrapes.  
"What happened to you?" he asks, peerign at my arms and the stab wound under my cloths. I look up at him, still being the short person that I am.  
"had a tough time on my mission. Thats about it." I say. He narrows his eyes and they glaze over with worry.  
"Are you hurt? Who did that to you? I wont let him live." he says fiercly. I grin.  
"One, I'm fine. Two, he's already dead." I say, crossing my arms. "I gotta go patch myself up, I have to meet the others in the hospital." I say. Kiba raises an eyebrow.  
"Why the hospital?" He asks.  
"Kakashi-Sensei used his new Sharingan too much." I say simply, kissing his cheek and turning away from him.  
"Bye!" I say quickly, heading home.


	19. Yamato Deichou

After meeting Kakashi-Sensei and the others in the hospital, and nearly seeing whats under the mask (:D!) I head home for some solid food. I make a quick dinner and head up to my room, awaiting my next mission. Sakura has spoken to Tsunade-samma about the information recieved from Sasori after our battle and it seem's we'll have a new mission soon enough.  
"Geeze, I'm beat." I say, suddenly tired. I quickly patch my clothing up and clean them, hanging them out to dry, before heading to bed in a T-shirt and shorts.

The next morning, I wake up and head into town. I spot Naruto and approach him.  
"What are you looking for?" I ask. Naruto turns around.  
"Oh hey, Kanami-chan! I have to look for another team mate apparently..." Naruto says, I raise an eyebrow. "Even though we're already an even team?" I ask. He shrugs.  
"Don't ask me." He mutters. So, Naruto set's out to find Shikamaru.  
"Naruto he won't be able to help you for the FIFTH TIME." I explain as Shikamaru turns down Naruto's request. "He's an examineer damn it! He's got a job to do!" I say. "And its not likely that Honno could come, I know what you're thinking." I say, holding up my hands. "She's on a mission with Team Gai." I say. Naruto hangs his head.  
"UUgh. This is dumb." He mutters.  
Suddenly Choji appears and offers to help.  
"Thanks Choji. I don't know why we need another member but this is really helpful." I say. Choji nods, smiling. "I mean, it can't hurt to try, right?" He says cheerfully. I smile.  
Naruto nods, conversing to Choji while I speak with Shikamaru.  
"You're even more of a fatass-" I narrow my eyes, grabbing Naruto and shoving him aside before ducking low as Choji's eyes snap open. Shikamaru puts his Bento aside and narrows his eyes, turning. Choji's hand grows in size as a large beast made of ink flies towards us. I bring my legs up, kicking the creature in the stomach and sending it towards Choji, who smashes it. Ink splatters over the ground as I flip up in a crouching position. I narrow my eyes at a man, about our age, with pale skin and dark hair perched atop a building. Naruto watches us, eyes wide. I grab a kunai, leaping up and stabbing another one of the beasts in the stomach before bringing my foot up and kicking him over my head and into a store wall.

"Shikamaru." I mutter.  
"Yeah." He puts his hands in a symbol and Naruto peers at his forehead protector.  
"There's definatly a leaf on his forehead protector but... I've never seen him before." I grit my teeth.  
_Who is this guy?  
_He sits with a smug look upon his features, a paintbrush and scroll in hand, ink drips from the brush. Shikamaru slowly moves his shadow foreward. I narrow my eyes as the man begins to scribble on the scroll.  
"Shikamaru, get ready." Choi says. My eyes follow his movements carefully.  
"10." I say. Shikamaru grits his teeth.  
"We'll back you up! Go, Naruto!" Shikamaru says. Naruto nods, starting forward. I follow close behind, senbon in hand and a kunai between my teeth. The senbon are laced with a paralactic serum. I watch the boy's movements carefully. I read his lips, memorising the move for later knowledge.  
"Ninpou Choujuu Giga." he muttered. I tighten my grip on the senbon as 10 beasts of ink burst from the scroll. Leaping into the air I twist, flinging the senbon at the boy before pulling sand up around me. He blocks the senbon easily. I notice Shikamaru's shadow and Choji's hands take care of some of them while my sand constricts them to the point of combustion. Naruto engages the unknown enemy and I flip back over to Shikamaru. Shikamaru nearly has the boy in his shadow but before we can capture him, he dissapears in a whirlwind of ink.  
Shikamaru makes a face, his shadow receeding.  
"What the hell?" I murmur. Naruto stands alone on the roof and I sigh. "Seriously, who was he?" Ino appears out of nowhere, scareing me out of my skin, and I keel over.

A while later, I recieve a notice telling me to meet by a building nearby to discuss the new team. So, I hurry over with Naruto to find that Sakura is already there.  
"Aren't you early?" I ask, standing beside her. Sakura nods.  
"Yes, but they should be here soon." I nod and Naruto peers around us. "Jeeze, did Granny Tsunade really get us new members for our team?" he mutters. I cross my arms.  
"I don't doubt her judgement in the least but I dont understand why we need another member besides a captain. We're already a four-man cell as it is!" I mutter. Sakura taps her chin.  
"That does seem odd." She murmurs. "Oh well. We'll just have to trust her." She says, smiling. I nod, giving her a grin and leaning against the building. I hear the sound of footsteps behind us and we all turn. I narrow my eyes at the boy before us.  
_He's from before. What the hell does he want now?!  
_"Hello." he says, his voice sounding a little quiet. Naruto then decides that it's a good time to flip out while I grit my teeth. Sakura looks between us and him.  
"Do you three know eachother or something?" She asks. I turn away from the boy and move so he can step aside. Another man walks out from the building after him. He has light brown hair and his eyes resemble that of an almond.  
"I'll be acting as Kakashi-san's replacement for this team-"

The man cuts off as he notices mine and Naruto's dirty looks towards the boy.  
_Something can't be good if he's here...  
_The boy simply smiles, ignoring us. I turn to the man.  
"So, you'll be the Captain of this team while Kakashi-Sensei is in the hospital?" I ask. The man nods. I can already tell from the look on his face what he's probably thinking.  
I sigh. "Oh boy..." I mutter, looking at the two boys while Sakura just stands, utterly confused. The boy just smiles at Naruto and I and it's kinda starting to freak me out.  
"Seriously do you guys know eachother?" Sakura asks again. I nod.  
"He attacked Naruto and I when we we're with Shikamaru's team a while ago." Sakura's head snaps towards the boy and the man who was to be our new captain turns him. Naruto pulls out a kunai and the kid reaches for a sword on his back. I move between them, ready to stop an attack from either boys.  
"Knock it off, Naruto-kun." The man says. I nod. "If we're going on this mission we need to work together. And I'm willing to forgive him for attacking us." I say, putting my arms down.  
_Although something does seem off about him... I'll keep an eye on him.  
_Naruto looks up. "Come to think of it, who are you?" He asks. I turn to the man who gives us a small smile.

"I am acting as this teams interim captain while Kakashi-san is hospitalised. Please call me Yamato."


	20. Sai is an ass sometimes XD

"Captain Yamato?" Sakura wonders quietly. Yamato nods, moving foreward. "Since you guys are on the same team, it'll cause a lot of problems if you don't get along." He says.  
"Same team... as him?!" Naruto asks, pointing at the boy. I lift a hand to my face.  
"Oh boy... Tsunade-samma, what have you done?" I mutter. The boy smiles, his hand moving away from his sword.  
"Sorry about before." He says with a smile." I wanted to know how strong you are, since we're on the same team. Naruto pulls the kunai back into his sleeve. "You didn't have to go that far." He murmurs.  
"And thanks to that little encounter I learned that you are a useless, dickless pantywaist." I collaps to the ground, shock and embarrasment emblazoned onto my face covered by a red blush.  
_W-Whats with him?!  
_The boy is still smiling and Sakura blanches. Naruto does a double-take and my arm twitches.  
"What was that, you asshole?!" Naruto yells. Sakura grabs his arms, holding him back.  
"He's our teammate now, dont start fights with him!" She exclaims as Naruto kicks his legs about. "And you, you're really being a jerk." She says quietly, giving him a look.  
"Oh, really?" The boy replys innocently.

I stand. "If you keep acting like that everyone will hate you." I say dryly.  
"Oh? But I really like ugly bitches like you." I freeze and my head turns slowly to the boy. Naruto stops struggling as I stalk over to him, grabbing his collar.  
"What did you say, you punk?!" I yell. Yamato grabs my shoulders, pulling me off of him.  
"Hey! Remember what Sakura just said!" He exclaims quietly. I struggle for a moment before giving up. Yamato lets go of my shoulders.  
"Anyway, the five of us will be starting our mission soon." Yamato says, rubbing his head. He must be tired of us already. "And, well, we're not going to have many other chances to get to know eachother. So, introduce yourselves!" He says happily, putting his hand down. I stand beside Sakura and Naruto, the boy is left alone.  
"Uzumaki Naruto." He says dryly.  
"Haruno Sakura." Comes Sakura's annoyed reply.  
"Uchiha Kanami." I say, agrivated by that constant smile on the pale boy's face.

"My name is Sai." He say innocently.  
Yamato seems to notice our discomfort. "Alright. thats enough of that. Now, I'll explain our mission." He says. "Our objective is to head towards the Heaven and Earth Bridge in order to capture an Akatsuki spy working beneath Orochimaru. This is also a rare chance for us to obtain information on Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke." My gaze hardens as Yamato's gaze flicks over mine. "We'll have a valuable sorce of information for planning Orochimaru's assasination and Sasuke's retreival if we capture this spy. Be sure to proceed with caution."  
"Yes sir!" Sakura and I say with a nod, determination flaring to life within us. Sai just smiles.  
"Assemble at the main gait in an hour. We'll depart once you've e quiped yourselves. With a nod, we all take off to our homes.  
"That Sai guy is such an asshole." I mutter, jumping from roof to roof and then vaulting down to my doorway. I passed the hospital on the way here and noticed Jiraiya-samma with Kakashi-Sensei, sending them a small wave. I wonder how Sensei's feeling? I quickly pack my things and set out to store up on some ingredience for poison making along the way.

Yamato's POV:

"Is that all?" I ask, trying to sound as polite as possible. Having just learned of the demon foxes cloack, I figure I'll be ready... Hopefully.  
"Actually, there's one more thing." Kakashi says. Tsunade and Jiraiya turn to him, seemingly confused... As if they did not know about this other topic.  
"What is it?" I ask. Kakshi looks at me with he one eye.  
"Its about Kanami." He says. I raise an eyebrow. "Is there something I should be concerned with?" I ask. Kakashi sighs.  
"You of all people should know how Orochimaru works, correct?" He asks me. I nod. "Then you know of Orochimaru's 'Cursed Seal's'." Once more, I nod. "Kanami is a vessel for one of those marks." I make a face.  
"What?" I ask. Kakashi nods. "She was given the cursed seal during the 2nd exam. The reason I am concerned is of how she may react on this mission." He says. Jiraiya makes a face and Tsunade raises an eyebrow.  
"During Orochimaru's invasion, Kanami's Cursed Seal spread over half of her body, imparing her better judgement. She ended up killing a lot of enemies, though I fear she would have killed Gai if she hadn't realised her position." He continues.  
"How many were killed?" Jiriya asks. Kakashi closes his eyes. "If I remember correctly... About 20 people..." I say. "From what I know." Tsunade makes a face and Tonton wiggles into Shizune's arms.

"20 people? With only half of the seal?" I murmur. Kakashi nods again. "Also as you can tell by her last name, she has an offiliation with Itachi Uchiha. If he is there, and it really is a trap, do not let her fight him." He explains. "I fear he may be too strong for her to handle, even at her level." I nod.  
"Understood."  
Tsunade turns to me. "You should get going, its about time for you to meet up." I nod, taking my leave.  
_This team sure is something._


	21. Dont even think about it Sai

Kanami's POV:

After finishing up with my packing, I head to the gate to already find everyone but Yamato there. As I step beside Sakura, Yamato arrives.  
"Alright. Team Kakashi, we're heading out." We follow Yamato out the gate and along the way I notice Naruto giving Sai dirty looks. I sigh internally. Its rather awkward because of the silence and I'm pretty sure Yamato feels the same way, because of the look on his face.  
"Is something wrong?" Sai asks suddenly, making me jump a bit. Naruto seems to be assesing him in a way. "Please don't look at me so much." Sai says, eyes opening and gaze hardening. "Or I'll hit you." Naruto makes a fist.  
"Stop talking all annoting like that, damn it!" He mutters.  
"I have no ill intentions." Sai says innocently.  
"Liar!" Naruto exclaims. Sai smiles. "I was hoping for just such a situation." Sakura gives him a look.  
"Situation?" She wonders.  
_Oh no... _"So you do have ill intentions!" Naruto says, stopping and holding up a fist. "You're no good after all!"  
Sai stops ahead of us and turns to face us, making Yamato stop himself.  
"You really piss me off." Naruto says. I almost want to face palm.  
_Naruto you piss a lot of people off yourself! Please don't start a fight.  
_Yamato holds up his hands.  
"Oi, oi! You can't just ignore the teams well-being and say that, Naruto!" Yamato chides. "Kakashi-san must have taught you the importance of teamwork and trusting your teammates."  
"Didn't nearly getting tied to a log teach you anything?" I ask dryly. Yamato gives us all a stern look.  
"You are all members of the great Kakashi-san's team. So what's up with that?" Yamato asks.  
_Maybe because he attacked us and called Naruto a dickless pantywaist and called me ugly.  
_"He's not a member of Team Kakashi!" Narut exclaims, pointing to Sai. The last member of Team Kakashi is Sasuke!" I look over at Naruto with partially widened eyes. "He's just a replacement to fill in while Sasuke isn't here. I won't accept him as a member of the team!" Sai suddenly smiles, putting a hand on his hip.

"Good. That puts me at ease as well." He says coldly. "Someone who etrayed the leaf and joined Orochimaru..." My eyebrows furrow together and my eyes widen in a look of pure rage. "I dont want to be put in the same group as trash like that." Naruto clenches his fist.  
"B-Bastard!" He mutters. Sakura holds out a hand to stop him but fails to notice me stalking towards Sai. I lift a fist and slam it into his cheek, releasing all of the Chakara I can to make it reaaaly hurt. My hair falls over my shoulder, hooding my eyes as I glare at Sai as he skids across the ground. He gives me a cold look and Naruto gapes at me.  
"Say something bad about my family -my team mate- again, and I won't hold back." I say, looking him in the eyes. "You pompous asshole. You know nothing about Sasuke. You have no right to talk like that." I turn and stalk past Yamato. "Lets keep moving."  
Everyone watches as I walk away from them when suddenly there is a rumbling beneath me and I whip around t find a cage of wood behind me.  
"You four. If this goes any farther it really will be troublesome. We have little time left to get to Tenchikyou, still we should be able to solve this all with a little detour." I raise an eyebrow as Yamato continues. "Now, heres my proposal to you. You either spend a day beating eachother up in the cage or we take a detour to a hot springs town. You dont know me very well, right? I like doing things nicely but..." I peek around the cage at Yamato. " I don't really hate leading by terror either. Yamato's face suddenly becomes rather weird and I almost laugh but that would be mean, so I dont.

After a little while we reach the hotsprings. Sakura and I move to the seprate building for women and awkwardly slip out of our clothing and into the hotspring.  
_This is actually... Kinda nice...  
_"Don't look at it!" I blush slightly as Naruto's voice careens over the fence and into my ears. "What is up with you and penises?!" I sink slowly into the water and loo over at Sakura, who gives me the same look back.  
_Damn Naruto! He's too loud!  
_I slowly sink under the water as the sound of womens laughter rings out around me. I make my way over to the edge after a short while and climb out, Sakura following behind. We put on the robes provided and head up to the room we would be staying at. We open the door and the most BEAUTIFUL scent washes over my nose. I am greeted by a feast of epic proportions.  
"Sugoi!" Sakura exclaims.  
"I've never seen something like this!" I say happily, mouth watering.  
"It looks delicious!" Naruto says, drooling. We all scoot into our seats carefull to not knock anything over.  
"Oi! Yamato Deichou! Can we really eat all of this?!" Naruto asks. Yamato nods.  
"Sure! Don't hold back." he says happily. I decide not to hog all the food and grab a small bowl of plain white rice, putting a few pieces of shrimp and crab into it before mixing it all together with some of the sauce provided.  
"Itadakimasu!" I say cheerfully, taking a bite out of the bowl. I drool a little bit in my mouth.  
"This is amazing!" I say, taking another bite and swallowing. I notice that Yamato watches us closetly as we eat and I swear I feel something tiny stab my throat on the way down.  
_Did he... do something to the food?..._


	22. Sasori revived!

I wake up the next morning in my room I share with Sakura. I blink grogilly at the pink haired girl above me.  
"Sakura?" I ask. She's already dressed and packed. She smiles.  
"Its time to go." She says. I shoot up.  
"EH?! Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" I exclaim, scrambling around to get my cloths on and my things together. I quickly get my hair in order before tying my forehead protectors around my neck and arm.  
"Yosh! Lets go!" I say, grabbing Sakura's wrist and pulling her along with me, brushing my bangs from my eyes as we run. We meet the others outside and I rub my neck.  
"G-gomen." I say quietly. Suddenly within the next few seconds Naruto is flying back into the wall, sweat falling from his face like rain out of the sky.  
"B-Best buddies no need to worry!" He says hurriedly, waving his arms about. I chuckle. After a while of walking, Yamato suddenly directs us into the woods. I follow him loyaly but its still vreepy in here. Thats when I notice...  
"Umm. Sakura-chan..." I say. Sakura turns to face me. "Yes?"  
"There's a spider on you're back..." I say. Sakura blanches, waving her arms in all directions. "GET IT OFF!" She exclaims. I turn her around and genntly grab the giant, terrifyingly huge spider from her back by one leg. Normally spiders dont scare me but this one was huge.  
"Think its Shino's bug. Think it's Shino's bug. He'll kill you if you kill it this is Shino's bug!" I stutter quietly, trying not to freak out myself. I gently place the spider on a tree before hurrying off after the others. We end up in a clearing where Yamato puts his hands into several symbols.  
"Everyone, please get back." He says. Suddenly the earth beneath me shifts and wood rises from the ground, forming a rather nice house. I hurry inside, removing my shoes and moving to the room above with Sakura, Sai and Naruto. Naruto moves away from Sai while Sakura and I get our things sorted out.

"Everyone, please gather here." Yamato says after a while. "Also, kanami, Sakura. There was something I wanted to ask you." I sit beside Naruto and peer at the team captain. "What is it?" Sakura asks. Yamato looks at us both as Sakura sits.  
"Its about Sasori of Akatuski." He says. I narrow my eyes, staring at our makeshift oil candle.  
"Sasori..." I murmur. Yamato looks over at all of us, the contor's of his face highlited by the light of the candle.  
"I would have asked yesterday, but we agreed not to talk of serious things." He explains. "So tell me everything tonight, since you two were the only ones who saw him." I nod, gaze hardening.  
"Yes." Sakura says, shifting beside me.  
"I've read the plans from the sand but still, if he has any habits or outstandin personality traits, let me know." he says. And with that, he explains his master plan. I am in Team 2 with Naruto and Sai. The next day, we set up a simulation and send Sakura out to act as Sasori. Yamato is to be the 'spy'. Naruto and Sai wait behind a rock nearby while I have sneakily made my way beneath Yamato underground. Naruto and Sai leap out at Sai's signal and I listen to Yamato's movement get closer from underground. Sakura poofs out of her henge and I chuckle.  
"I found you, Yamato Deichou." Yamato lets out a gasp as I clasp onto his ankle, pulling him beneath me and breaking through the earth.  
Suddenly I notice the dummy Yamato replaced himself with. I grit my teeth, standing. I run off in another direction activating my Sharingan. I am able to pinpoint Yamato easilly.  
"Sai!" An ink black snake lashes out and Yamato leaps away from the tree.  
"Naruto, Sakura!" Sakura charges at Yamato, a Chakara powered fist at the ready. I dissapear like lightning as Naruto appears above Yamato, a Rasengan in hand. Yamato dodges to the left and I grab him, kunai to his neck. "Someone tie him!" Sai's snake slither's over and ties itself around Yamato's wrists. I smirk.  
"Gotcha. Too easy." I say. Sakura and Naruto dissapear. "Sakura's getting Naruto out of a bit of trouble with another dummy you set up." Once Naruto arrives, him and Sai proceed to get into an argument. Naruto turns away from him, stalking away. Yamato lets out a sigh and Sakura looks between Naruto and Sai with a worried look. "I wonder what Sasuke-kun would have done in this situation." I tense, switching my gaze to Sai. Naruto freezes."Would he have fought while protecting you? After all, you consider him a member of Team Kakashi and a friend right?" Sai says, smiling smugly. I clench my fists. Naruto turns, glareing Icicles from his blue eyes.  
"That is, assuming you can still call someone who betrayed his village and seriosly hurt you a friend?"

Sai opens his eyes, returning Naruto's cold look.

Sakura's POV:

_This isn't good. Naruto won't be able to keep holding back like this_! Suddenly Sai goes careening past me and skids across the ground. My head whips towards Kanami, who has her fist raised and her eyes hooded. I notice something fall to the ground.  
"Sai..." She says darkly. She lifts her head and tears stream from her eyes. "What do you know about Sasuke? Oh, thats right. You know _nothing _about him. So how about, you shut you goddamn mouth or I will hurt you so bad, you wont be able to speak!" She says, shaking slightly. She wipes her face and stalks past Naruto, heading away from the group."And we'd do anyhting to save our friends." Naruto watches her with wide eyes and I hold a hand over my chest. With that final sentence, she picks up her bag, and leaves the area.  
_Kanami-chan...  
_We all walk silently after her, not wanting to say anything after that bout.

Kanami's POV:

After another 'camp out' we set out to the bridge. 3/4 of the ay there, Yamato stops us.  
"Lets set up here, then move to the bridge." He says. I narrow my eyes, nodding. As does Naruto. Sai sets up a scroll and sends out hundreds of small mice. They return quickly and he peers up at Yamato. "There's no one in the area surrounding the bridge." He says.  
_That rules out the ambush then...  
_"Alright!" Yamato says, getting our attention. "We'll continue as planned." He pulls out a picture and holds it up to Naruto.  
"Naruto, sorry to bother you, but can you hold this up for me?" He asks. Naruto nods, looking confused as Yamato puts his hands together. "Mokuton Henge." Wood rises around Yamato, enveloping him in a shell identical to that of Sasori's 18th puppet, Hiruko.  
"Well? Did it turn out alright?" Yamato asks. Its strange seeing Hiruko and not hearing that awfully raspy voice. I nod.  
"You look just like Sasori's puppet, Hiruko!" I comment, peering at him a bit closer. Sakura nods as well.  
"Now I need to match my voice to his, so stop me when I've got it." We both nod again and Yamato begins going through voice changes.  
"Thats it! Thats his voice!" We say, stopping Yamato.

"Good. Okay everyone, time to put our plan into action."


	23. Kyuubi Unleashed

"You're too polite. Sound tougher, you know, meaner." Sakura says. Yamato nods and makes the necissary adjustments before we all leap away, getting into position.  
_Its kinda freaky seeing Sasori again... Even if it isn't Sasori...  
_The wid blows heavilly today so we're able to get closer than normal.  
"Its almost noon... Is the spy not here yet?" Sakura asks. I activate my Sharingan, peering at the bridge.  
"Is that him?" Sai asks. I shift my gaze and nod.  
"Thats him..." Yamato, in the form of Hiruko, begins to move towards the bridge where the spy waits. I read the spy's lips as he speaks, still unable to identify him. My eyes widen as Kabuto turns to face Yamato.  
"Yamato?!" I whisper. "No way..." Naruto and Sakura do a double-take, why Sai repains emotionless. Suddenly a flaring pain erupts in my shoulder and I lean back, grabbing my shoulder. The others turn to me.  
I cover my mouth as I fall to my side, clawing at my shoudler with one hand and writhing in excrusiating pain.  
Sakura kneels beside me, worry filling her eyes. I clamp my hand over my mouth and Sakura pulls away the shoulder of my jacket where the Cursed Seal fluctuates violently as I attempt to hold it back. I let out a small grunt of pain as sweat falls from my brow. Sai narrows his eyes slightly as Naruto kneels beside Sakura. I lift my hand from my mouth slightly.  
"H-He's.. ngh He's h-here-" I clamp my hand over my mouth again as a wave of pain rockets down my body. Suddenly Orochimaru appears on the bridge and I sit up with great difficulty, pain shooting through my body in protest and sweat falling from my forehead. My eyebrows furrow as Naruto and Sakura's eyes widen. In a flash Kabuto suddenly slashes directly through Yamato's discuise.

Yamato holds up his hand in the signal and we leap out. I gasp for breath, staggering slightly as I land and glare daggers at Orochimaru, who meerly smirks. Naruto's eyes have turned blood red and his teeth have sharpened. I fall to my knee's, clutching my shoulder with a gasp. Yamato's gaze shifts to me.  
"Kanami, are you alright?" He asks. I nod, staggering back to my feet.  
"Fine. Just this damn seal." I mutter. Kabuto gives me a sly smirk and I grit my teeth.  
"Give Sasuke back!" Naruto mutters, his hair becoming scruffy.  
_Not agai-  
_Another wave of pain snakes down my spine and I fall again, gasping as the cursed seal begins to spread. I try to push it back.  
_No! Stay back you damned seal!  
_Sakura's eyes widen as her gaze flickers from me to Naruto, who grows more angry by the second. Kabuto seems to be enjoying my pain. Red Chakara forms around Naruto and suddenly the seal retreats, as if frightened by the precense of the Kyuubi Chakara. I turn to him, wide eyed and breathing heavy.  
"We can't simply give him back, Naruto-kun. Sasuke-kun came to us onhis own will. You just need to man up and stop dwelling on the past-"

"Shut your goddamn trap four-eyes!" Sakura yells angrilly. "I'm sick of you're attitude. You have no idea how Naruto feels!" Orochimaru gives us a smug look.  
"If you want to know where he is you'll have to force it out of me." My hand glows green and I charge forward.  
"Gladly!" I yell. Kabuto blocks with a blue hand and I block one of his own, aiming a kick. He dodges, aiming a hit for my Achilles Tendon and I quickly spin, switching legs. He blocks and I flip into the air, away from him. I bite my finger "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Onmyo growls beside me and I put my hands in a seal.  
_Kiba, I'm going to borrow a technique. _"Junshin Bunshin!" Onmoy turns into a perfect copy of me and we leap into the air, spinning. "Gatsuuga!"  
Kabuto dodges as we dissapear in a plume of smoke and the real me grabs a kunai. I fling it down towards him and he blocks the poison laced kunai. I flip back over to the others, exhaling. Suddenly the bridge beside me explodes as Naruto launches forward. I sheild my face from the debrees and follow Naruto with my Sharingan as he charges at Orochimaru. He brings his hand up and with an enraged yell he slams a Chakara protected claw across Orochimaru's face, sending him flying through the tree's ahead. Ropes snap on the bridge and it suddenly becomes ricketty. I suddenly find myself on my knees again as the seal insists on taking over my body and mind. Sakura watches on with wide eyes as I claw at my shoulder and Naruto looks slowly at Kabuto over his shoulder. Orochimaru walks slowly out of the woods and my eyebrows furrow.  
_How is he not dead?!_

Orochimaru walks back onto the bridge, his 'face' torn away revealing the original face of his container. "Thats why they put you in charge of him." He says, realisation intoning his voice. "It seem's my experiments benifited Konoha after all." Still in extreme pain, I turn slightly to look at Yamato.  
_Was he... an experiment?  
_Yamato gives Orochimaru a cold glare. "You would think my old village would have been more grateful to me! Don't you agree, my adorable little lab rat?" I grit my teeth and attempt to nullify the pain in my shoulder._ So he was...  
_As he repairs his damaged face, Orochimaru explains to us a horrid story about 60 poor children. Yamato was the last to survive the experiments. And now we know the reason he can use Mokuton Jutsu's. Only now do I notice the bleeding from his arm. Sitting up, I place a hand on his arm and my hand glows green as I begin healing the wound. His eyes flicker over to me for a moment before returning to Orochimaru and Kabuto. I wince slightly as the pain returns and the Curse Mark fluctuates feverishly, attempting to lock onto its goal. I miss all of what Orochimaru says as I am focused on healing Yamato. The wound heals quickly and the bleeding is no longer a problem as I turn back to the scene before me. My eyes widen as I notice two more tails growing rapidly from the red Chakara surrounding him. "He doesn't belong to _you_!" Naruto shakes slightly and I remember what he was like with just 2 of the tails.

_Will that destruction happen again?_ "Don't talk about Sasuke like he's some toy that you own!" Red Chakara lashes around my blonde team mate and I grit my teeth. The wind strengthens around us and I hold up my arms, xcooting backwards slightly across the bridge from the force of the gale.  
_This wind is burning... _Kabuto smirks triumphantly and my eyebrows furrow. There is a loud creaking sound behind us as the trees threaten to rip themselves from the ground. With a crash the bridge around Naruto breaks, exposing the stone beneath it. The railings and supports snap before returning partially to normal. I start to shake from the bloodlust of the Kyuubi and the two villans before us. I've only ever seen stuff like this with Shukaku... but this... this was more powerful. More terrifying. I grew up with an intense fear of Jinchuuriki in full form, especially when I was around an angry Gaara. So naturally I begin to shake, almost violently, beside Yamato and Sakura. Sai's eye narrow as he too is pushed back by the gale of wind. Naruto lets out an enraged yell and it comes out a roar, like that of the Kyuubi's. I narrow my eyes as they asses the situation around me and keep an eye out for any possible attacks by a clone or a trap. The three tails lach arond violently and I curse under my breath.  
_This mission just went to a whole nother level._


	24. Kabuto's Genius

Naruto tenses, his nails leaving a mark in the stone beneath him. Kabuto's eyes narrow and he runs forward, his hand glowing blue.  
"You idiot, Kabuto!" I yell. He ignores me and goes straight for Naruto, who turns and with a single yell, sends the center of the bridge into the water below and Kabuto flies towards me. I attempt to move while sheilding my face but my Curse mark stops me. Kabuto's body slams into me and I fly backward, hitting my head on the bridge. Since this has distracted me, my Curse Mark decides that this is the opportune time to spread over half of my body. Kabuto meanwhile fails to slow and crashes through several trees behind us.

Yamato's POV:

The bridge begins to crumble with a lurch and Kanami slides across the wood as it tilts towards the raging river below. Sakura hurries forward and reaches out, attempting to pull her team mate to safety. Naruto lands on the other side of the bridge and it promptly explodes into millions of pieces.  
"Sakura, be careful!" I call. Sai stands emotionless but at the ready. Orochimaru leaps further into the trees, Naruto on his tail and Sai grabs a scroll from his pouch. Kanami slides further down the falling bridge and Sakura strains to reach her.  
_She must have hit her head when she fell. _I notice the black marks on her left hand and grit my teeth. Sakura latches onto her friends hand as the bridge below lurches, threatening to fall at any moment. Sakura's grip on Kanami's hand slips and Kanami slides down the bridge piece she is on. Sakura moves back with wide eyes and I put my hands together.  
_Of all the times to get knocked out..!  
_Large trunks of wood shoot from the ground below the bridge and shoot upward, holding it upright. Kanami's legs slide off the edge of the bridge and I narrow my eyes.  
_I cant hold it up!  
_Sai unfurls the scroll, quickly drawing what seems to be a bird. "Ninpou, Choujuu Giga!" The bird breaks free from its paper prison and slies below the bridge, Sai leaps over the railing and Sakura gasps.  
"Sai!" I call. The bridge gives another unsound wrench as my wooden supports begin to fail. Kanami's body falls off of the bridge and Sakura's eyes widen. "Kanami!" I look over at Sai, who is flying near where kanami is falling. "Sai! Catch Kanami!" I call urgently. Sai switches directions, flying upwards towards Kanami. He completely ignores her falling figure.

Sakura gasps. "Kanami!"  
"What the-?" I slam my palm into the bridge, snaking a root downward towards Kanami. It wraps around her and stops her from falling, her hair swishes dangerously as the root jerks her to a stop. I let out a relieved sigh and Sakura exhales. I turn back to the situation at hand for a moment as a large explosion sounds off at the other side of the gorge. I grit my teeth before pulling Kanami up over the railing of the crumbling bridge. Sakura hurries over, pulling her friend away from the root and cradling her head.  
"Kanami, wake up!" She says. "Come on, Kanami!" After a few moments Kanami opens her eyes grogilly. The seal begins to receed rapidly.  
"Are you alright?" I ask, walking over. She sits up and puts a hand on her head.  
"Yes. I'm alright." She says quietly. "What happened?" Suddenly her eyes widen and her head snaps across the gorge. "Don't tell me Naruto...!" Sakura nods, her gaze shifting to the trees. Kanami lifts an unsure hand to her shoulder. "My curse mark seems to be responding to not only Orochimaru's precence, but the Kyuubi Chakara." She says, moving her hand away. A black whisp of smoke rises silently into the air and Kanami's eyes narrow, moving to the right.  
"Behind us... How is he still alive?!" She murmurs. I grit my teeth. "You mean Kabuto?" I ask. She nods.

"As always his Medical abilities are superb." Sakura mutters. "If he can still move after that then he knows what he's doing."  
I narrow my eyes. "But so do we."

Kanami's POV:

I notice the small dot in the sky that is Sai atop his bird, flying cautiously around the whisp of smoke.  
"What's that smoke?" Sakura murmurs. I grit my teeth.  
"It must be Naruto... I have a bad feeling..." I say quietly. Yamato puts his hands together.  
"Moku Bunshin no Jutsu!" Wood breaks away from Yamato's body, forming a pefect clone of him. I make a small face.  
_Thats... Kinda weird how that works...  
_"Get to it." Yamato tells the clone, who nods, leaping quickly away. A gale of blazing wind erupts from the other side of the gorge and I cover my eyes.  
_Whats happened?!  
_I can faintly hear a small roar from here... Oh lord... If I activate my Sharingan I see violent Chakara melding with the wind around us, explaining the burning sensation.  
Yamato lifts a hand to his neck.  
"I never thought the fourth tail would appear here." He says. My eyes widen.  
_No way! The fourth tail?! Even I know this is bad...  
_Sakura holds a confused look on her face and I give her a look of great worry.  
_She doesn't know... Does she?  
_Yamato watches the treeline with a hardened gaze, as if deep in thought. I notice another explosion in the distance and my eyes widen as I see the heat radiating off of it, and the debree's flying towards us. Sharingan sure does have it's uses. I grab sakura and pull her to the floor of the bridge with me, sheilding my eyes from the wave of air.

_What a shockwave! What's happening?!  
_We sit up a few moments later, eyebrows furrowed.

"Is Naruto causing this, too?" Sakura asks, worry filling her voice. Yamato and I nod, absolutely certain. Yamato's gaze flickers over Sakura then back to the trees.  
"And all we can do is hope for the best..." I murmur. Dust flies off in the distance, carried away by even the faintest trails of wind. Sakura looks down at her legs for a moment before turning to me.  
"You guys... Know something about Naruto, dont you?" She asks quietly. "Whats happening to him?" Yamato looks from her to the treeline.  
"Sakura, you don't need to worry. The higher-ups chose me to be you're captain for this exact reason." He says, attempting to reasure her.  
"It seems Sasori won't be coming after all." I whip around and glae at Kabuto.  
_UUUGH! Why wont you just __DIE __Kabuto?!  
_"How are you still able to heal yourself, even after that?!" I reply coldly, gritting my teeth.  
"Sasori should have been the only one who knew I was coming today. He didn't even tell the rest of the Akatsuki. And yet, you're group from Konoha showed up." Sakura grits her teeth angrilly, both of us dispising the grey haired male with a great deal.  
"I seriously doubt you forced the information out of him through interrogation. In which case, he must have told you voluntarilly." Kabuto's glasses glint as he tilts his head. "I assume he hoped that Konoha would pry information out of me and use it to destroy Orochimaru-samma. The Akatsuki are after him as well, you know." He continues with a smirk.

"You're anilitical skills never cease to surprise me." I mutter coldly. Kabuto smirks.  
"You're discuise earlier, was flawless." Kabuto says, refering to before this chaos. Yamato makes a face. "Someone in your group must have met Sasori personally to be able to do that. And that's when he gave you the information about today, correct?"  
_As always you ass.  
_"Of course, he probably thought the mind-control technique he'd placed on my was still in effect. That Sasori bothered to tell you about today means that he's acknowledged you're strength. Sasori hated Orochimaru-samma, and would always speak of his plans to get back at him. He wouldn't have handed the task over to you unless he were unable to do it himself." I grit my teeth harder, nearly chipping a tooth.  
"In other words, he's either being held captive or he has already passed away."


	25. Flashbacks to Better Times

My mind flashes back to the sight of Sasori, several swords protruding from his woden body. Flashing through our fight. I gently lift a hand to the scar on my side, where I was nearly stabbed to death.  
"Hate to tell you, but it's the latter." Sakura says, a wary look in her eyes. To my surprise, Kabuto grins, looking to the treeline.  
"Excellent." He murmurs. I make a face.  
"What are you going on about now, Kabuto?" I say angrilly, gritting my teeth. I feel a small tremor beneath me and my mind wanders to the fight across the gorge. Kabuto doesnt respond. I suddenly keel over, even though I am on my knee's and my head wrenches across the gorge. I gasp as I see three large gates erupt from the ground. Sakura's eyes widen and Yamato grit's his teeth. Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light and I cover my eyes with my arms. Kabuto's eyebrows furrow and he makes a small noise.  
_Where's Sai in all of this?!_

Smoke erupts from where the gate-like objects stood and my eyes widen.  
"What was that?!" Sakura wonders. I sit up again and my gaze flickers over to her. Suddenly something dark flies into the air, followed by a long, snake-like object. I gasp.  
"Get down!" I wrench Sakura's head down beside me and Yamato lifts his arms as something shoots towards us, a stream of dust following behind. Whatever the object was slams into a boulder nearby and I grit my teeth as Sakura gasps. I can identify something that appears to be a large sword.  
_So that snakey thing is Orochimaru... and his blade of Kusanagi..  
_Kabuto smirks, moving his arms away from his face. We look up and gasp at the sight before us. Yamato's eyes narrow.  
Naruto, four tails active, lay across the rock. The sword attempts to peice him but the Kyuubi Chakara won't allow it. My eyes widen in horror as I notice Naruto's condition, his blood mixing with the Kyuubi's Chakara. His eyes and mouth are a blazing white and his teeth sharpened to a point.

Kabuto lets out a chuckle, smirking. "He's more like the Kyuubi than ever." He comments. Sakura's face shows a look of pure terror. "Naruto." She murmurs, her eyes portraying a look of pure sadness.  
If I weren't shaking in fear I would be crying, but I dont. We all stand hurriedly and watch Naruto closely. Naruto tenses before letting out an earsplitting roar. I cover my ears quickly and wince. As the roaring ends, I gingerly move my hands away from my ears. Yamato lifts a hand to his head.  
"Got it. Keep watching him, then." He says, moving his hand from his ear. Naruto's hands slump over the sword, not in a pained manner, but almost as if he's thinking. My eyerows turn upward in worry for my friend. I think back to when we were just Genin... well... he still is one... whatever you get the point. An image of Naruto in his bright orange jumpsuit appears before me.  
_Kanami-chan!  
_The image gives me a cheeky grin and a small laugh.

_Thats... Naruto? I mean I've seen him like this before but...  
_I notice the sword struggle to push past the Kyuubi Chakara and I grit my teeth, I feel a prick behind my eyes.  
_No don't cry dont cry dont cry!  
_Instead of peircing into Naruto's body, the sword pushes him into the rock, making it break away slightly.  
"Naruto!" Sakura calls. My body shakes in fear. I've always been afraid of Bijuu in full form, and having seen this ferocious creature as my friend and noticing the difference, even if he's not in full form it terrifies me. My legs tremble and Sakura casts me a sideways glance. Yamato's eyes widen. "Is he...?"  
Naruto's clawed hands reach up and clasp onto the blade of the sword, he suddenly wrenches it sideways. Kabuto gasps and leaps over the sword. Yamato grabs Sakura and I leap as high as I possibly can into the air. The bridge finaly collapes, falling into the water below and we land a few feet behind Kabuto, who smirks. "Instead of a battle between ninja, this is more like one between monsters." I make a face.  
"Call my friend a monster again you ass!" I exclaim, clenching a fist and moving forward. Sakura grabs my arm and pulls me back, I sigh. Kabuto chuckles at mine and Sakura's eactions to the situation and I grit my teeth. Sakura lifts a shaky hand to her chest in a worrid habit. The sword receeds back to Orochimaru and his creepy ass long neck.

Orochimaru's head moves and Naruto lets out a roar.  
"Just look at that thing." Kabuto says in a taunting sort of way.  
_Kabuto! You're pushing my gaddamn patience!  
_"Did he want to save Sasuke-kun so bad that he turned into that?" My fear turns into rage and I tremble not only out of rage but still out of the worry and my phobia. It seems that kabuto knew hed get a reaction out of one of us as Sakua makes a sad face. I remember back during the Sasuke Retrieval mission... Naruto had promised me he'd bring Sasuke back. He hadn't then but he hadn't given up. We'd gone on the Bikkochuu mission together and so many others. He was so focused on Sasuke. Tears well up in my eyes and Sakura lets ut a tiny sob as tears trail down her cheeks.  
"He's even lost control over his whole body." Kabuto continues. I clench my fist.


	26. Be Seated

Sakura's lower lip quivers as Naruto's four tails lash around violently. He lets out several low growls, seemingly in thought. He lets out a sudden roar and I jump, the tears in my eyes dissapearing. Sakura's tears trail slowly down her face as she watches on in horror and worry. Kabuto adjusts his glasses on his nose and she grits her teeth. In a flash she runs forward and my eyes widen.  
Yamato does a double-take. "Wait, Sakura!" he calls "Stay away from Naruto!". I run after her.  
"Sakura he won't recognise you!" I call, gaining on her as she runs. Naruto turns to Sakura as she calls his name. Tears stream out behind Sakura as she runs and her fists clench. She stops and I hurry to catch up to her.  
"Sakura!" Naruto lets out a growl and Yamato puts his hands together. Naruto's tail lashes violently and my eyes widen. _Oh no!  
_Sakura's eyes widen as Naruto's tail lashes out for her. In a flash I am beside her and shove her away. She watches with wide eyes as she falls. Naruto's tail slams into my left arm and I let out a yelp, flying backward.

Yamato's POV:

Kanami falls to the ground with a thump and Sakura rushes over, stumbling. I narrow my eyes as Kanami clutches her bleeding arm with a wince on her face as small gutteral noises escape her lips. Kabuto grins.  
_Damn! I took too long!  
_Sakura freezes as wood shoots from the ground, curling around and restricting Naruto's tail as it reaches for Kanami once more.  
"Sakura!... Stay where you are!..." I call, sweat falling down my forehead. The wood wraps around Naruto and he lets out another roar. I clench my hands together to the point of turning my skin white with pressure as Naruto struggles. I sigh and Kabuto smirks at Kanami's shaking form. He walks forward and I make a face. Sakura moves infront of Kanami with narrowed eyes. Kabuto lifts a dirtied hand and with all the strenght I can muster I command wood to curl up and around Kabuto's body. He looks down at the wood with narrowed eyes.  
"I don't thinks so." I say darkly. Kabuto shoots me a small glare over his shoulder.  
"Don't jump to conclusions. I don't see the need for us to fight anymore." I tense. "Just the opposite, in fact."

"What do you mean?" I ask. Sakura makes a face and holds up her arms as Kabuto's hand glowes green. The Chakara in his hand manuevers around Sakura and to Kanami's wound. Sakura leans out of the way with wide, confused eyes as Kabuto's Medical Nin-Jutsu begins to take effect. Blood begins to evaporate from Kanami's arm and the scratches begin to close.  
"Our groups share the same veiwpoint." Kabuto says suddenly, making Sakura jump. "We both want Akatsuki gone." Kanami winces, her eyes sqinted closed. "I figure if we let you guys live, you might take another one of them down for us." Kanami's eyes open a fraction of an inch and she peers around her. Naruto lets out another enraged roar and her eyes portray a sad look and dull over as if she's going through flashbacks. Naruto struggles against the hold of the wood and it begins to split as he lets out another enraged roar. Sweat drips from my eyebrow and I make a face.

Kabuto continues to heal Kanami's wound and Sakura pitches in. Even with her help though, the wound is healing rather slowly. Kabuto looks to the treeline as there is a snapping noise. Naruto begins to break free of the wooden supports and Kabuto looks back to Kanami.  
"You can repay me for saving her by killing at least one other Akatsuki member. But him, he's _your _problem. You'll have to take care of him yourselves." Kabuto's Chakara retreats back into his hand and Sakura grimaces at black marks spreading over half of Kanami's body. Naruto begins to break free and Kabuto falls back, dissapearing with a puff. Naruto lets out a roar and breaks free of his restraints. I make a face.  
_I gotta do it now!  
_I run forward, hurrying past Sakura, who looks up at me with a surprised and confused face."Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu!" I say. I hold my hand out, the symbol for 'Be Seated' on my hand. "Kakuan Nitten Suishu!" Naruto turns to me, wood flying at me. I dodge it and slam my palm onto Naruto's chest. Immediatly my Chakara begins to react to the First's necklace that Naruto wears. I leap back, Chakara connecting my palm with Naruto. He lets out a growl as I slam my hand into the ground, spiked wooden pillars rise around him. Sakura watches with wide eyes and is unnaware of Kanami's subtle shifting as she lifts her head. I grit my teeth, concentrating with all of my might.

Naruto lets out a roar as the Kyuubi's Chakara begins to receed, revealing reddened skin. Kanami's head shifts beside me in the dirt as Sakura lifts her hands to her mouth. Naruto's features become visible as the Chakara receeds further. He lets out a pained yell, small pieces of skin still attatched to him.  
"N-Naru...to..." Kanami grunts, sitting up. I work with all of my possible strength on sealing up the Kyuubi's Chakara.

Kanami's POV:

I wake to the sound of Naruto's pained screams. Sitting up, I clutch my shoulder and gaze in horror at what has befallen my friend.  
_He's been getting injured the whole time?!  
_Naruto falls to his knee's and I am unable to see the sky blue pupils of his eyes as only the whites of his eyes are visible. There is a deathening silence before Yamato wills the pillars back underground. Naruto falls over and Sakura lifts a hand to her mouth.  
"It's over." Yamato sighs. I stand and hurry over to him.  
"Naruto!" I gasp, sitting beside him. Sakura hurries close behind me. Tears fall down my face as I flip him over, removing his backpack. I place my hands on his chest and Sakura's land beside mine. We start to use all of our remaining Chakara and focus on healing him. A small sob escapes my lips and for a moment I look over to the treeline before focusing back onto Naruto, who's breathing is labored.  
Yamato kneels beside me and watches us work. Even with the two of us this is excrusiatingly difficuly. I lift a hand to his forehead, sweat falling from my brow, and remove his forehead protector. Placing a hand on his forehead, I attempt to start some healing there as well. His skin begins to heal rapidly, beginning underneath the now visible First Hokage's necklace.

_He's healing too slowly... Normaly the Kyuubi's Chakara would have healed the injuries much quicker...  
_I grit my teeth, forcing more Chakara into healing Naruto and giving it all I've got when a searing pain erupts from my wounded arm. I wince and Yamato casts a look in my direction. Naruto lets out a small grunt of pain, his back arching from the intensified healing speed.  
"Yamato Deichou." Sakura says quietly. Yamato turns to her, an eyebrow raised. "Would you please teach me the technique... that you used to stop Naruto?" I look up at her and shake my head.  
"Sakura there's probably a little chance he could teach you..." I murmur. Both turn to me.  
"He most likely chosen to be our captain in case this ever happened. For this very reason. That being said, if anyone could do this why not just send one of the other Sensei's?" I say, thinking out loud. "Captain Yamato is most likely the only one in our village able to use that technique. And if he could teach us, even with our intensive medical training, our Chakar reserves wouldn't be able to handle that technique." I finish quietly. "But if there were a chance?..." Sakura asks. I look up at her.  
"I'd take it. And I know you would too." I reply before turning back to Naruto. I move my hand from his forehead and back over top of one of his lungs.

"Kanami is right. It is impossible for me to teach you that technique. I can only use it bacause of my fused DNA with the First Hokage." Yamato confirms. "The technique forcibly supresses the Kyuubi's Chakara." Yamato continues. I cast him a sideways glance.


	27. Sai is a traitor

That necklace is an heirloom of the First Hokage. It's a Chakara crystal that responds only to the First's Chakara." The pale blue crystal glints in the light of the sun as Yamato continues. "It's because of that necklace that I am able to control a Jinchuuriki's Chakara." We turn back to focusing on healing Naruto.  
"Its always like this." Sakura says quietly. I spare her a glance and find her shaking slightly. "The only things that I can ever do for Naruto are small and insignifigant." There is a moment of silence before I place a steady hand ontop of hers, guiding it back over one of Naruto's lungs. Sakura turns from him to me.  
"Sakura. It's not the size of what you do for him that counts." Yamato says. We both turn to look at him. "What really matters are you're feelings for Naruto." He says, smiling slightly. "I can tell just by looking at you two. I turn to him with a confused yet shocked looking face. "You really l-"  
"Kanami-chan? Sakura-chan?" Our heads wrench toward Naruto at the faint sound of his voice. He opens his eyes slowly before sitting up and lifting a hand to his head.  
"Naruto!" Sakura says happily. Naruto looks around. "Huh?" Before he can comprehend his surroundings I tackle him in a bear hug. "Eh?" He peers down at me and I just hug him before moving away.  
"What happened to me?" He asks, his voice still groggy. "I was going after Orochimaru, then..." He sits up fully. "And then what did I do?"  
_He... Doesn't remember?_

"Hey, Sakura-chan-" He cuts off, turning to her. "Huh? Sakura-chan, why're you crying?" He asks. Sakura blinks before smiling and wiping her cheek.  
"Oh, theres just something in my eye." She lies quickly. Naruto suddenly shoots up.  
"I know! It was that asshole Sai!" He says angrilly, clenching a fist. I turn slowly to the treeline. "He said something mean and hurt you're feelings again didn't he!" Sakura sighs. "Like ugly bitch or freak of nature!" Yamato raises an eyebrow.  
"That jerk!" Sakura stands up, her arms stiff.  
"Sai neve called me a freak of nature." She says darkly. "Don't make up new insults, you jerk!" She says, giving him a rough jab in the chest. I stand and put my hands together. Sand rises at the gap in the bridge and I run swiftly over it, Sakura calls my name as the sand falls. I hide my Chakara signature and hurry into the trees. After a while, they thin out to reveal an enourmous crater and my eyes widen slightly. I narrow my eyes, activating my Sharingan and backing up against a tree. I gingerly peer around the trunk at three men in the center of the crater. My eyes narrow as I am able to define Kabuto, Orochimaru and... Sai.

As the three men leap away, I grit my teeth, slamming my fist into a tree. The tree now has a deformed hole in its trunk.  
"Bastard!" I grunt. Naturally, pain flares in my arm and I wince. I turn away from the crater and hurry back to the bridge. Sand rises in the middle just as before, signaling my return to the others. I stalk angrilly towards them as Yamato lifts a hand to his ear.  
"He's gone with Orochimaru." I say angrily, punching the air ahead of me. "The goddamn bastard!" Sakura grits her teeth and Naruto blinks. I bite my finger and summon Onmyo.  
"I'd like to see him get away from us!" I say angrilly. Yamato's gaze falls over all of us.  
"All of you, come with me."  
Moments later we stand in the crater Naruto had created only minuets before. Naruto scuffs the ground with his foot. "The ground's still soft." He says calmly, assessing the damage he had created to the landscape. "And the bridge is trashed... what the hell happened that messed up this area so bad?" He wonders aloud.  
"You... Don't remember?" I ask. Naruto gives me a look before scratching his cheek. "Now that I think about it, why was I unconsious?" He asks, looking around at all of us. Yamato looks to Sakura, who looks down. I fiddle with the leg of my pants and Onmoy scuffs the dirt with a paw.  
"Orochimaru knocked you out." Sakura lies. I look up at her with a shocked face.  
_She's... lying to spare his feelings...  
_"For real?!" Naruto exclaims, hands in the air. "Damn it!" I hear a small ruffling noise as a gust of wind blows my hair to the side. Brushing my hair away I kneel down.  
My eyes widen. "This is... Sai's things!" I gasp. Sakura walks over and lifts up the blank scroll.

"Definatly his." She murmurs. I raise an eyebrow, oicking up a small book.  
"Hey.. Didn't you tell me that he wouldn't let anyone read this?"I ask, holding up the book. Sakura nods.  
"Why'd he leave it here if its so precious to him?" I murmur, looking at the boy on the cover. A large pool of ink lay splattered beside the objects.  
"If he was nervous enough to leave things behind, he must have been pretty tense while speaking with Orochimaru."  
"You sound as if though you were watching." Sakura says pointedly. Yamato explains how his Mokuton Bunshin had relayed information to him. "What happened to Sai?"  
Naruto looks between the three of us, confused.  
"He went with Orochimaru. Voluntarilly. He's the reason why I ran over here earlier, remember?" I remind Sakura. Sakura looks to me, taps her chin and nods. Naruto looks at me with wide eyes.  
"What do you mean?"

"What were they discussing?" I shrug and Yamato says that his clone was too far away to hear. Naruto puts his fingers in an L shape below his chin.  
"I wonder what they were talking about..."  
"Well whatever it was, he didnt go by force." I scoff. "We need to track him down. He may not look like it, but Onmyo is a pro tracker." I say, patting the wolfs head, the scrape from the fight with Sasori long gone.  
"Now hold on a second!" Naruto exclaims. "He may be a complete dick-" I scoff. "But he's not the kind of person to betray us!-"  
"No. He might." Sakura says, looking down, seemingly in thought. We all turn to her. "Yamato Deichou, do you know about Danzou?" I raise an eyebrow.  
"I do." Yamato replys.  
"Who's he?" Naruto asks, cutting in.  
"Danzou id a hawkish man who once opposed the Sandaime Hokage." Yamato explains. "  
"He's an old man, Sai's superior, and he doesn't think well of the Third." Sakura adds.  
"Then he might be using Sai to pull off some grand scheme." I wonder. They all turn to me.

"Its a possibility! Think about it. He could try to gain Konoha's favor by gaining information on Orochimaru and then killing him. Maybe he's attempting a coup d'etat?" I say, holding my elbow in one hand, the other under my chin.  
"Yes. There is a possibility Danzou may have given Sai a top-secret mission besides our own." Yamato says, thinking quietly.  
"So you guys are saying he used our mission to get close to Orochimaru?!" Naruto exclaims, eyes wide.  
"Thats right." Sakura says, sounding strangely serious.  
_I'm just glad my Curse Mark isn't wigging out...  
_"This might be an unfounded speculation, but keep in mind as you listen that it might not be wholly impossible." Yamato says, trying to prepair us for his analysis on the situation.  
"Danzou... May be trying to destroy Konoha as we know it."


	28. Compassion vs Lenity

Yamato gives us a sort of confused look and Onmyo lets out a low growl.  
"What do you mean, he wants to destroy Konoha?!" Naruto exclaims, hands in the air. And Yamato does. Suddenly everything seems a bit clearer now.  
"And depending on how things go... We may have to kill Sai." Yamato concludes, his gaze hardened. I make a face.  
"Kill him?" I murmur. " I mean it makes sence but..."  
A small flock of birds erupts from nearby tree's, taking off at a high speed. A single black feather floats quietly down to the pool of ink.  
"My clone is trailing them but I don't know what will happen." Yamato adds. "We're going after them too."  
"But-" Sakura starts.  
"Okay! Got it! lets g-" Naruto cuts off, stretching his arm. His eyes begin to roll into his head and I make a face, grabbing his arm as he falls ."Naruto!" I wrap another arm around him and attempt to pull up his weight, Sakura rushes over to help. A flare of pain shoots from my arm and I wince slightly. We lay him down gently and I hold his head up.  
"Naruto, are you alright?" Sakura asks. Naruto breathes heavilly, sweat falling from his face to the soft earth below. He lets out a small guttteral noise.  
_Theres still some damage..._

Sakura turns to Yamato.  
"Yamato Deichou?" She asks, wondering how to go about this.  
"Sakura, Kanami. Lets go." Yamato says. I look up at him.  
"I know that we should go right away, but with Naruto in this condition-"  
"Then we leave him behind." My eyes widen and Sakura makes a small noise._  
Leave him behind?! No way...  
_"Even in that condition, he's still got enough strength to make it back to the village. Right?" Yamato asks.  
Sakura whips around.  
"Kakashi-Sensei would never say a thing like that!" I tense slightly. Naruto suddenly reaches out and puts a hand on her arm. She turns back around.  
"S-Sakura-chan. I'll... I'll be fine..." He breathes. "I can come with you." He lets out another small grunt, his face contorting with pain. My eyebrows furrow. He sits up slowly, a small tremble every now and then.  
"Sakura, I know what you're trying to say. I was on Kakashi-san's ANBU squad. So I know exactly what type of person he is. I look up at him slowly and Sakura turns, her eyebrows turned upward slightly giving her a sad look. "I may be Kakashi-san's replacement but we're two different people." Naruto looks at him from over his shoulder. "I won't smile and go 'I won't let you get hurt'." I make a face, tensing.  
*Flashback*

Kakashi peers over his shoulder at us, a small smile on his face.  
"I won't let anyone on my team die. I'll protect you all with my life.  
*Flashback end*  
I look quietly down at my legs, avoiding eye contact. Naruto tenses and Sakura looks at her hands.  
"You three aren't newbies who need to be protected anymore. You're shinobi that will have to surpass Kakashi-san and protect the village." Yamato's soft gaze suddenly hardens. "There's a difference between compassion and lenity. Everything ends if you give up here." He looks off into the tree's where his Mokuton Bunshin had headed. "We'll never catch up to them if you do. And we'll never get another chance to confront Orochimaru." I remember back to that day, when I had found Naruto by the waterfall. He'd been knocked out... but now that I think back. I could have sworn I saw a blue something watching me as I left...  
I nod, determination flooding through my veins.  
"Lets get back to the plan." Yamato continues. "Naruto, what will you do?" Naruto stands slowly, his back still to us.

"What do you think?" He replies. I smirk.  
_Thats my Naruto.  
_He staggers slightly. "Of course I'm coming with you!" He staggers again and Sakura gazes at him worriedly. I stand, pulling him up and steadying him.  
"Easy there. You'll be able to travel bt try not to shift from sitting to standing so fast." I chide. He gently moves my hand off of his shoulder.  
"I'm fine." He breathes. "Whats was the point of... coming all this way for me to go back to the village now?" Sakura stands slowly, worry flooding her green eyes. He gives us a small smile and I cant help but grin at him. Yamato smiles.  
"Fine with me. But if there's even a hint of you slowing us down, I will leave you behind. Understood?" Naruto nods, clenching a fist. "Got it."  
I turn to Onmyo. "Onmyo can you track the Mokuton Bunshin by scent?" I ask. Onmyo nods and I grin. "Then lead the way!" I say. Onmyo starts for the woods and I leap after him with the others, jumping from branch to branch. Sakura and I keep a steady eye on Naruto to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

I sigh as Naruto narrowly avoids a branch to the face. I manuever carefully around areas I cannot get through by swerving around them. As I leap up, I grab a branch with my left arm, aiming to swing to the next when a shockwave of pain shoots through my body mid-swing. I gasp as I lose grip on the rough bark, my fingers burning. Onmoy's eyes widen and he shifts directions, going towards me. I flip mid-air and shoot towards the forest floor. Naruto reaches out for me, eyes wide.  
"Kanami-chan!" Our hands miss by centimeters. Sakura is too far away to help. In a flash, Yamato launches down the trees and only feet before I hit the ground, he catches me, skidding to a halt. My heart beats a thousand miles a minuet. I clench my arm as another course of pain shoots down it. Sakura and Naruto land hurriedly. Naruto gazes at the wound with a confused and shocked face and Sakura casts him a sideways glance. Yamato sets me down against a tree and I clutch my arm again.  
"Kanami-chan.." Sakura murmurs. She scoots forward and places a glowing hand on the wound. "Are you alright, Kanami-chan?" Naruto asks, peering at the wound. "That injury..." Yamato's eyes narrow subtly. I lift a hand to my wound. "This is..." Yamato watches me carefully while Sakura focuses on my wound. I decide to spare him... he'd practically hang himself if I told him the truth. "Orochimaru did this to me." I say. I am aware of Sakura's muscles tensing slightly. I give Naruto a small smile. "It doesn't hurt much. I'll be ok."

Naruto gives me a worried look. "Don't push yourself too hard, Kanami-chan." I look up at him.  
"Says who now?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Naruto looks down. "Oh... Yeah..." He murmurs. Onmyo wimpers, cuddling close to me and licking my cheek. I put him weakly with my other hand. Yamato stands.  
"We'll take a short break here." I look up at him with wide eyes.  
"But Deichou! You said yourself... If we don't leave soon-" I cut off and wince as another pain lashes down my arm. Yamato looks to me.  
"I did say that earlier, but I aslo say that haste makes waste. There's also a difference between hurrying and recklessness. You and Sakura are the only two medical ninja's on this team. If something else were to go wrong we'd need both of you." He explains.  
"Right right! Like Yamato Deichou says!" Naruto says, grinning. I smile back at him and look up at Sakura.  
"Thanks Sakura, but I'll do this. You need to save you're Chakara." I gently move her hand away, much to Sakura's displeasure, and begin my own healing of the wound.


	29. A Story Told From Between Two Covers

"Besides. You're one of the only Medical Ninja on this squad but we also need you're brute force and you're Sharingan!" I make a face. I point at him, my finger just inches from his nose.  
"Quit adding brute force to the lists!" I exclaim. Sakura chuckles.  
"Huh? Wh-What why?-"  
"Shut up!"  
"K-Kanami-chan! I was complimenting you!"  
I kick my legs out, them being close to his face and he leans back.  
"O-Okay! I apologise!" He rushes. I cease my well aimed kicks immediatly.  
"Naruto." Naruto turns at the sound of Yamato's voice, his hands still by his head in a 'goal' position.  
"Since Sai has left, you'll be working as my buddy now. We should work out our strategy. Come with me." Naruto nods, following Yamato a good distance away into the tree's. I let out a small grunt from the healing and Sakura kneels beside me, watching the two leave.  
"That was nice... what you did back then." She says. I look up at her.  
"What do you mean?" I ask.  
"You lied back there, when he asked you about you're wound." Sakura reminds me, pointing to my glowing hand over my ripped jacket.  
"Oh... Well. He'd never let it go if I told him so... I dont know I just dont want him to feel guilty." I explain, a slight rosy color tinging my cheeks. Sakura looks down at her legs.  
"I'm the one who's guilty... If I hadn't run up there you wouldn't have had to stop me..." She murmurs. I look to my arm and then back to her.  
"Sakura dont feel guilty. You couldn't have known what would happen and I know you were worried about Naruto."I say kindly, giving her a smile. She looks away, a blush creeping across her cheeks.

Yamato's POV:

I look over my shoulder at Sakura and Kanami.  
_This shoulde be far enough._ I think to myself.  
"We're going to practice here?" Naruto asks me. I turn to him, nodding.  
"Yeah. But first-" Suddenly my ear buzzes. "Hold on a sec." I lift my hand to my ear and listen carefully as my Mokuton Bunshin radio's information to me. After my clone explains finding 'Sai's corpse' there is an explosion. I let my hand fall back to my side. _We're going up against Orochimaru. Being overly cautious may be the best course of action.  
_"Yamato Deichou?" I turn back to Naruto. "We're all done."  
Naruto clenches his fists. "Alright! What should we do first?" He asks enthusiastically. Oh how I hate having to do this but... he needs to know.  
"Before we get started. Theres something I have to tell you." I say. Naruto straightens slightly. I lean a bit closer to him.  
"You were the one who hurt Kanami, Naruto." Naruto's eyes widen and his features behold a look of sheer horror and shock.  
"Then the bridge... and that huge crater?..." He murmurs. I nod. "Thats right. It was all you."  
"Kanami-chan's arm too?" He asks quietly yet hurriedly. "Yes." I look up at Kanami again.  
"She lied to spare you're feelings."

Kanami's POV again:

_I knew this injurey would heal 's taking all I have just to dull the pain.  
_After a few minuets I am able to move my arm freely without pain. We peer back at the two behind us.  
"They're still not done?" I ask. Onmyo seems rather quiet, his ears tucked down. I peer back at my pack, reaching inside and pulling out Sai's book. Sakura looks at it.  
"Thats..." I nod, looking at the two boys on both covers before opening the pages and sifting through them, doubt flooding through my veins. Sakura watches me, gazing at the two boys as I flip through the book.  
_Maybe... Maybe I shouldn't. No. I have to if this can help us at all. Plus I really want to see the pictures I'm not gonna lie to myself.  
_I make a face.  
"Whats with... this book?" I murmur. Sakura attempts to peek over my shoulder.  
"What is it?" I make a face, looking back behind the tree at Naruto and Yamato.  
"Guys! Come here, hurry!" I call, beckoning them all. Sakura raises an eyebrow and I turn back to her.  
"I'll explain in a minuet." I say, trying to settle her curiosity. Naruto and Yamato hurry over, kneeling around me.  
"What is it, Kanami-chan?" Naruto asks. I hold the book in my lap.  
"Look at this." I say.  
"Thats Sai's!-" Naruto gasps.  
"Its the picturebook we found earlier. The one that Sai drew." Yamato concurs. Everyone leans in around me. "What's it about?" Yamato asks. "If we read it, we may find out something about Sai." I look forlornly down at the small book, its cover is peeling slightly and if I rub my finger against it hard enough more will peel. It seems to be very aged.

"Thats what I thought as well. I read it just now but..."  
Naruto turns to me. "Well what's the story about?" He demands. I shake my head.  
"To be honest, I'm not sure." I say simply. Sakura makes a face.  
"What do you mean?" Yamato asks. I gently open the book to the first page **(Japanese books are read backwards then the way us Americans read them. So think of it like opening the back cover and starting from there.) **And find a small boy, armed with no weapons or protection, fighting a man with a narrow, skull like face. The man holds a kunai.  
"Look.. There arent any words or dialogue at all. But... I flipped through all the pages and the boy gains the weapons and armor for every person he defeats." I explain. "Same on the other side." I flip the book over, opening to a page with a boy of a different appearance, fighting the same man. This pattern continues until I reach the middle. "The middle is really what confuses me... One side is blank and the other is half complete..." Sakura's eyes widen.  
"Oi! Go back to the first page for the black haired boy!" She says suddenly. I give her a look, flipping to the first page. She points to the small boy.  
"Look closely." She says. I peer closely at the book before my own eyes widen.  
"I see, Sakura! It does look like him!" I gasp. Naruto looks between the two of us.  
"Huh?" He says, scratching his cheek. I point to the boy again.

"Look closely." I say. Naruto studies the boy for a moment before nodding. I flip back to the middle page. "The little boy with black hair is always on the right. And he looks _just like _Sai." I explain. I flip back to the white haired boy's page. "And when this one fights, he's always on the left. That would mean that he goes on the left page... So..." I gasp. "Then that's Sai's brother!" Yamato looks to me and the book.  
"You're right... they do seem similar and the idea makes sense." He mutters. I lean back against the tree.  
"But the thing is... How did Sai want to finish this... And what stopped him?" I murmur.  
"Thats... Sorta creepy though." Naruto murmurs. Sakua gives a small nod.  
" But if that's Sai's brother... And the two boy's fought until the middle, then... did they?..." Sakura murmurs. I make a face.  
_They must have had to fight... And Sai...  
_I gently close the small booklet, gazing sadly at the black haired boy on the cover.  
_Sai must have won._


	30. Den of the Poisonus Snake

We suddenly get a radio call from Yamato's Wood Clone. After hearing what he has to say, we pack up and ship out. Moments later we ren atop a river, ripples flowing outward with our every step.  
"Naruto." Sakura says. We both turn to her. "This time, we'll definatly bring Sasuke-kun back!" She says, hidden anger flaring in her mint green eyes. "Yeah." Naruto reply's. I rid atop Onmto's back, watching for any movement and keeping an eye on my curse mark.. in case it should get out of control again. After a while of running across rocky terrain and rivers we come to a halt by a large rock in a barren landscape. Yamato's wwod clone peeks out from behind the rock for a moment.  
"Is this the place?" Yamato asks quietly. The wood clone nods.  
"The entrance is right in front of us, beneath those boulders." The wood clone replys. I narrow my eyes.  
"So... Underneath those rocks..." Naruto murmurs. "Is Sasuke." I finish quietly. Sakura clenches her fists. "Theres a strong chance." She adds. Yamato turns to us.  
"In the very least there will be some very important clues there." He says. Naruto nods.  
"Lets go." He goes to move forward but Yamato holds him back with one arm.

"Hold on a second." He says. He places his hand on the wood clones back and for a moment there is a spike in the tension of the air around us. The wood clone returns to its normal color, shrinking back into Yamato's hand. He turns to us, three seeds in his hand.  
"Swallow these first." He says. I raise an eyebrow before I make a shocked face.  
"I get it! Thats how you tracked Sai here!" I say, pointing to the small seeds.  
_He must have slipped it into the food... So thats what that was!  
_Yamato nods. "This way I'll be able to find you if we get split up. Basically, they're transmitters used for tracking. They're a type of ninja tool that will only resonate with my Chakara." Naruto looks up at him.  
"For real?" he asks. I take one of the small seeds, peering intently at it.  
"So, if we need help, we'd just have to focus and then cast out our Chakara and you'll be able to find us?" I ask. Yamato nods again.  
"On the dot." He confirms. I lift my hand to my mouth and swallow the seed like I would a pill. Sakura and Naruto follow en suit.  
"I also slipped these into Sai's cloths and food." Yamato adds. Sakura snaps her fingers.  
"So all you needed was a reason to go to the hotsprings as a diversion for you're actual plan!" She says as it all clicks. Yamato nods again before turning away from us.

"Alright, lets go you three!" He says. I nod.  
"Yes sir!" We say in unison. I dismiss Onmyo as Yamato gets onto the ground, his ear pressed to the stony earth. After a few moments, he stands.  
"I can barely sense any human presense. It's probably safe to assume that not many enemies are in there." He turns to the rock again. "But don't let you're guard down! Remember, we're up against Orochimaru. We must also think of Sai as an enemy now. We'll infiltrare with me going first, then Kanami, Sakura and finally Naruto." Sakura tightenes the black gloves on her hands.  
"How will we get in?" She asks. Yamato looks back at her.  
"We'll go by the book. Enter from underground using Earth Element techniques." Yamato explains. "I'll start by making a shaft right around here." I look at Sakura.  
"We should probably back up..." I say. Sakura and Naruto nod, stepping carefully away from Yamato.  
"After we're far down enough, I'll carve a tunnel parallel to the entrance tunnel and proceed slowly." Yamato adds. I nod, straightening my leg holster and whatnot.  
"Yes." Sakura nods.  
"Right. I get it!" Naruto says, anxious to enter the hideout. Yamato puts his hand in an symbol.  
"Then lets get started." He says determinedly. He makes a few hand symbols before lifting his hand. He smacks his hand against the ground and it crumbles, leaving a hole in its wake.  
"Jump down after you hear my signal." He says. I nod and he leaps into the hole.

We step a bit closer to the hole and peer down into it. After a few seconds, a high pitched whistle floats up to our ears. I turn to Sakura and Naruto, giving them a small salute.  
"See ya on the down side!" I say, before falling backwards, wind rushing past me. I flip, landing on a few rocks. I move to the side before letting out my own high pitched whistle. The only light in the tunnel comes from above and it is rather dark. I can just barely make out Yamato beside me. Wind whistles above us as Sakura lands without trouble. She lets out a whistle and moves away from the area she had landed in. In a matter of seconds, Naruto leaps into the hole.  
I look in the direction of the hideout as Yamato begins to carve the tunel.  
_Finally Sasuke... We found you. And we'll get you home.  
_After tunneling for what seems like days, we reach a stone wall.  
"It looks like the base is completely surrounded by stone." Yamato mutters. I narrow my now blood red eyes.  
"Theres a crack to the left of you're hand." I whisper. Yamato casts a look at me before shifting his hand. "Right there." I say, stopping him from moving his hand any farther.  
"With strong, solid rock, you just need to apply a little pressure to a small crack and..." Yamato trails off as his finger transforms into wood, working its way into the crack. He enlarges the wood and the crack grows, creating a small, square hole in the wall. "Like so." he adds triumphantly.

He turns to us.  
"From here on be sure to supress you're Chakara as much as you can. Otherwise, Orochimaru will know that we are here." I nod, beginning to supress my Chakara. I can feel the others signatures dwindling. "Everyone, move out!" Yamato whispers.|  
"Yes sir!"


	31. Sai's Conspiracy

We crawl silently through the hole in single file, the dark hallway and ominous feeling to the building makes my hair stand on end.  
"So far our infiltration has been a success." Sakura murmurs. I nod.  
"Lets look for Sai first." Yamato whispers. He closes his eyes and I know that he is attempting to locate the tracking seed. He opens his eyes, turning to the right. "He's this way." As we move silently through the halls, I check for traps, remembering the last time wed been in one of these hideouts.  
*Flashback*

Suddenly the floor opens beneath me to reveal more Bamboo shoots. With a gasp I begin to fall, before a warm hand catches me.  
"N-Naruto!" He begins to slip and he flings me up. With wide eyes, he falls below. The floor closes and a metal wall slams down, blocking my way.  
*Flashback end.*

At every corner, Yamato uses a small mirror to see if anyone should be approaching.  
"All clear, lets move." We all hurry down the hallway, our footsteps faint. "Almost there." Yamato mutters. My eyes flick around the corridor, checking for movement, concealment and traps. After a moment we reach a wooden door. I test the lock.  
"Locked." Yamato's finger transforms into wood and I deactivate my Sharingan for the time being. The door unlocks with a click and with a creak, we push it slowly open. Yamato peeks inside.  
"I figured you'd be here." He says. We enter the small, spartan room to find Sai's shocked figure standing before a desk. The dimly lit room makes his pale complexion seem almost normally colored as he gives us another fake smile.  
"Nothing less from one of the Hokage's personal ANBU." He says in a fakely kind voice. I cast a sideways glance out of the corner of my eye. Yamato seems unphased.  
_So thats it...  
_"I see that corpse didn't fool you one bit." Sai adds. I make a face.  
_... Corpse?  
_"Just what do you mean by that?" Yamato demands. Sai does not respond, but insead gives us another fake smile. Naruto moves forward, grabbing Sai by the collar.

"Why the hell did you turn on us, traitor?!" He demands, giving Sai a small shake.  
"You really shouldn't get so noisy, or things will become more difficult." Sai chides. I cross my arms.  
"I have to agree with him on this one, Naruto." I say quietly, so as to not draw attention to us. Naruto makes a face.  
"You bast-"  
"Naruto." Sakura interrupts. Naruto releases Sai, turning away from him. I reach into my pouch, stepping forward. I hold the small book in my hands.  
"Here. This is yours, isn't it?" I ask. Sai's gaze shifts to the small book. He gently accepts it.  
"Arigato." He says quietly. I look him in the eye, my gaze unwavering. "Danzou's orders, right? He's plotting something with Orochimaru, isn't he?" I ask. "And you were chosen to be their liaison." I narrow my eyes. "What are they up to?" I demand.

Sai once again, does not respond.  
"He wants to team up with Orochimaru to try a new 'Crush the Leaf' plan, doesn't he?" Yamato says from behind me. I cast a look at him from over my shoulder. Again, no response. I give him a cold look. "Listen bud, if you don't anwser these questions we could always force them out of you." I mutter darkly. Everyone turns to me. "And honestly, I don't want to do that. But if it comes to it, I _will_ capture you and I _will _take you to the T&amp;I Department. Just like we did with Amachi." There is silence before Sai looks up at us.  
"No, he doesn-"  
"We know that smile is fake!" Naruto says angrilly. "And we also know you're lyin-" I smack a hand over his mouth.  
"Naruto for once let the boy speak." Sakura sighs. Sai opens his eyes, returning our steady gazes. Naruto grits his teeth and slumps slightly. I lift my hand from his mouth.  
"Now that you've all discovered me here, my mission is a failure. I can't finish you all off by myself." I make a face. "And since you've figured out this much, there is no point in hiding the truth." Sai's gaze passes over all of us. " It's just as you said. We are trying to destroy the current Konoha." I grit my teeth.  
"I was to be taken by Orochimaru with the understanding that I would help him conspire against Konoha. That is the true mission that has been assigned to me."  
"Do you understand what you're saying?!" Naruto says angrilly. "Thats-"

"Thats not all." Sai interrupts. I give him a wary look. "I am also to secretly send information back on Orochimaru to Danzou-samma." My eyes portray my shocked feeling as my jaw drops slightly. "In other words, I'm also working as a spy." Yamato holds up a kunai, the metal glinting in the dim light of the candle.  
"Keep talking. And don't leave a single thing out." Yamato commands.  
"So you're supposed to be part of an alliance with Orochimaru while spying on him behind his back?" Sakura murmurs. "Thats so dangerous..."  
"The moment Konoha is destroyed, Orochimaru will definatly betray us. It's a preventative measure to ensure that we keep the upper hand.  
"I see." Yamato mutters.  
"Danzou wants to make Konoha his... You're supposed to make it all happen by yourself?" Sakura asks, looking down for a moment. "Thats insane..." I whisper. Sai just smiles before rolling out several scrolls along the floor. I tense, ready for anything.  
"The information I write on my scrolls, takes on the form of small animals." Two small birds and two small mice rise from the scrolls, retreating from the room. "That is how I can leak information, without compromising my safety. I was chosen for this mission because of that ability. I clench my fists.  
"If Konoha is thrown into chaos, lots of people will die again!" I say angrilly. An image of the Sandaime flashes throughmy memory. "Do you really understand what you're trying to do?!"


	32. Smiles all around

"Who cares? I'm just following orders." My face contorts with anger and I go to move forward.  
"Why you-" Yamato holds out an arm to stop me and I grit my teeth in frustration. Naruto's eyes flare with anger.  
"One more thing. The name 'Sai' was assigned to me for this mission." I make a face. "I am no one. I am merely one of Danzou-samma's arms." My jaw drops again slightly as pity courses through me. "I don't exist. There's no point in sayinganything to me." Sai's been giving us this fake smile for about a solid 5 minuets... It doesnt really help us at all and I kinda feel sorry for the guy...  
"But then..." I notice Sakura's eyes shift to the small book in Sai's hand. "If that's true, then why do you still treasure that picture book so much?" Sakura asks. Sai's eyes shoot open and he makes a face. Sai looks at the book for a moment, his eyes almost glossy looking.  
"The two children on the cover are you and you're brother, arent they?" I ask quietly. "Why is that book so precious to you? Because it's the only thing that proves that you exist." Sai's eyes flicker up to me. "You haven't lost you're emotions as much as you like to claim." I pause. "A shinobi cant fully throw away their emotions. The act that you accepted that book back and said 'Thank you' proves it. You felt relieved when I handed it to you." Sai's gaze is unwavering and seems to watch me attentivly.  
"In what way does carrying this book around prove that I exist?" Sai wonders. Sakura steps forward. "The reason why you don't want to let go of that picture book is because you can't give up the image you have of yourself as a little brother." She interjects. "Do you know why?" Sai is silent. "Because you're ties with you're brother were important to you!" She adds triumphantly. Sai makes a shocked face.

"You don't want to destroy the bond you share with you're brother." Sakura murmurs. Sai looks down to the book and then back up to us.  
"Bond?" He repeats quietly. Yamato lifts the kunai slightly.  
"I apologise, but we looked at the contents of the book." Sai's face changes from one of shock, to one of subtle anger as his gaze shifts to Yamato. "Only the two center pages are incomplete." Sai's eyes narrow slightly. "Sai. I know you're from ANBU's root." Yamato continues. I raise an eyebrow.  
_Root?...  
_"I also know that Danzou had you undergo special training to help you kill you're emotions." We all turn to Yamato.  
"Special training?" Naruto murmurs. I make a face. "It sounds a lot like...Like Zabusa, doesn't it?" I say quietly, looking up at my two team mates. Sakura and Naruto nod, slight shock amongst their features.  
"In order to seal away all emotion, you underwent the vile training that the Hidden Village of 'Blood' Mist used." My eyes widen and my gaze snapps to Sai.  
_So I was right!...  
_Naruto looks up at Sai. "Then you..." Sai holds his gaze and I think back to what Kakashi-Sensei had told us about Kirigakure. He had explained it back then, when we'd fought Zabusa and Haku. Sai's gaze is calm and steady all the while.  
"Going by the book, you take the weapons and armor of those you defeat. Whenn you get to the center pages, you would have had to fight you're brother." I look down at my feet. "You killed you're-"

"I did not!" I look back up to Sai to find him smiling once more. "This was supposed to be a present for my brother. But when the picturebook was almost complete, he..." Sai pauses. "He died from a disease." Sakura's eyebrows turn upward and Naruto's jaw drops. Then, Sai explains everything. Yamato then decides that we need Sai and any information he may have. He ties Sai up with wood and no difficulty. Suddenly my heart beat increases slightly as I turn to the door.  
_Not good!  
_"Deichou." I say. Yamato turns to me, Sai in his grasp. "Someone's coming." Sakura holds back a gasp as we hurry from the room, shutting and locking the door behind us. We speedily and silently make our way back to the surface where we set Sai against a rock.  
"Tough break, Sai." Yamato says. I feel almost releaved to be out of that building. The tension is enough to give me the chills. "I'm going to leave you here and have my Wood Clone keep watch." Naruto puts his fist in his hand.  
"Alright, its time to finish the job." Determination flares in his blue eyes. "And... Save Sasuke." I give him a nod, ready to go. Sai looks away from us.  
"You should give up." I turn to him, confused. "I met Sasuke-kun." My eyes widen. "Orochimaru is always with Sasuke-kun." He continues. "In other words, you'll have to fight Orochimaru again. If you pursue them, you'll be ripped apart and used for their experiments. Plus..." He trails off. Naruto leans forward slightly.  
"Plus what?" He demands. Sai looks back up at us.  
"Sasuke-kun no longer cares about you." My eyebrows furrow and I clench my fists, eyes still wide. "Sakura-san says that you think of Sasuke-kun as a brother. Yet even so..." Sakura looks down at her feet. "So why are you trying so hard to bring him back, risking you're life going up against Orochimaru, when he thinks so little of you?" I turn to Naruto and hold back a small gasp. Naruto smiles at Sai.

"Back in the day, I couldn't stand Sasuke. Even though neither of us had families, he was an elite and I was last in class." Yamato and Sakura turn to him. "But it really was a lot of fun when we were together. He..." Naruto pauses breifly. "He aknowledged me more than anyone else ever did." Sai holds Naruto's gaze.  
"Sasuke is my friend, someone who I was finaly able to form a bond with."  
"A... Bond?" Sai murmurs. "But still, against Orochimaru you-"  
"I don't care who I have to fight! If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death. If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death. If he rips off my head, I'll stare him to death. And if he gouges out my eyes, I'll curse him from beyond the grave!" All of this said... and he still smiles.


	33. The Disturbed Bush

Naruto's words still ring through my head as I narrow my eyes.  
_Even if I'm torn to shreds, I'm taking Sasuke back!  
_"We leave as soon as the guard clone is-" I cut Yamato off, grabbing his arm and pulling him away as several kunai land in front of us. One, right where his foot had been. A shadow flips above me, landing before Sai. I grit my teeth.  
_Damn it...  
_"And I'd thought we manadged to fool our tracker." Kabuto says, standing. "Well you are one of Orochimaru's guinepigs, so I suppose it's not unexpected." He adds, smirking. Yamato turns to me.  
"Nice timing." He mutters. I nod, eyes locked on Kabuto.  
"Kabuto, persistant as always." I mutter. Naruto grits his teeth angrilly. Kabuto grins. "Sai, I see you've been taken prisoner." Sai does not respond.  
"Take a hike." Naruto says, glaring at the traitorus ninja before us. "If you don't leave, I wont hold back." Naruto's clone rushes down from above Kabuto, who smirks, stepping merely an inch or two away from the spiraling Chakara in the clones hand. He roughly kicks the clone away, it dissapearing in a puff of smoke.  
"You're wasting you're time." Kabuto says smoothly.  
"You don't know until you try!" Several Kage Bunshins erupt from a cloud of smoke that sheilds my vision, zigzagging towards Kabuto. I grin as Yamato becomes aware of my sudden absence.  
"I won't let you get in our way!" The Naruto's say. I copy their words, their movements, heading right for Kabuto. In a flash, I leap into the air, through the smoke and ignore the cracking of a clones wrist beneath me. Kabuto sidesteps away from me and I slam my fist into the ground, it crumbling as a result. I drop my henge and glare him in the eyes, the surrounding area turning into a bloody sky with blackening rocky. Kabuto focuses on my feet as I run at him, his hand glows and I dodge behind him, pulling him over my shoulder. I ready my fist to slam into his stomach when he flips, still avoiding my gaze and jabs my injured arm with a glowing hand.

I wince, coughing up bile and leaping away as he aims another jab for my stomach. Trunks of wood shoot from the ground and I flip away, ignoring the numbness in my arm.  
_Damn! He hit a nerve... My arm's not moving!  
_He easily dodges the wood, fliping from trunk to trunk with Sai in tow. I follow Sakura's lead as she runs up a branch. I run across the one adjacent to it, readying my right fist. We both aim for Kabuto but instead our fists connect with rock. A swarm of infuriated hornets rises from the rock, speeding towards Kabuto in a shrowd of yellow and black. He is able to eliminate them as quicky and seamlessly as Hinata had back when we had searched for the Bikkochuu. I take a small ammount of time to try and restart my stunned nerve. As feeling begins to return to my arm, Kabuto cuts Sai free. "Honestly I genuinely feel sorry for you people." Kabuto says, stepping forward. "Especially you, Naruto-kun. You're the most pitiful one of the lot." I am frustrated to find that as my arm begins to awaken, so does the pain from my injury. I work at beginning to dull the pain. In a flash, Sai grabs Kabuto's arm, pullin git behind him. His other hand holds Kabuto close to the ground. One move and his arm is broken. My eyes widen.  
"What is the meaning of this?!" Kabuto grunts. "You're job was to be a liaison between Orochimaru-samma and Danzou!" Sai gazes unwaveringly at Kabuto.  
"You said people change. That means I can too." I smile slightly and soon Kabuto is in the same position Sai had been in moments before. Yamato's wood clone rises from the ground and I cant help but wonder where it comes from in such a barren landscape. Kabuto laughs at Sai's explanation of why he's done what he did. I make a fist.

"What's so damn funny, four-eyes!" I exclaim. Kabuto smirks.  
"You don't know the _real _Sasuke-kun." I grit my teeth as Yamato steps forward.  
"Where is Sasuke-kun?" he demands. Kabuto just grins that sick grin of his. "Anwser me." Kabuto is slient again before... "He's probably finished up his training and gone back to his room in the inner area."  
"Inner area doesn't tell us much, but he isn't lying about the training." Sai says. Kabuto gives a smug look. "Even I don't know which room. That place has rooms and spaces carved out everywhere. Much more than just one or two inner chambers."  
"Then, we'll just have to search all of them!" Naruto says determinedly. Kabuto chuckles a dark chuckle.  
"That could work..." I make a face. "But you won't find him if you search for him at random like that. If you arent careful, you might disturb the bush and have a snake jump out at you." I swallow. Just his words are sending a chill through my spine. "Orochimaru-samma's room is back ther as well." Sakura lets out a small noise and Naruto's eyes narrow. Yamato gazes calmly down at Kabuto.

"Well, thanks for being honest with us." He says blandly.  
"Oh, theres no need for thanks."  
"You think we're all going to be killed, don't you?" Yamato asks.  
"Exactly." Naruto moves forward.  
"You son of a-" I stalk forward, whopping Kabuto on the head. He winces slightly.  
"Shut up!" I say angrilly. Yamato watches me as I walk calmly back to my place beside him and Sai, zipping up my Chuunin vest.  
"I guess we'll see." Yamato reply's coldly. "Lets go." And so we begin our infiltration. We run among the halls, peeking carefully around corners and watching for misplacement in the tiles. We stop at a three-way intersection in the halls.  
"We'll break into 2 teams and search for Sasuke." Yamato says. "Sakura, you're with me. Kanami, you go with Sai and Naruto." He says, turning to me. I nod, Sai and Naruto seemingly alright with this desision. "Focus you're Chakara if something happens. I'll get to you as quickly as I can." There is silence for a moment. "Alright, move out!" We split quickly down the two hallways, opening doors and continuing further. I often keep watch with Sai as Naruto checks the rooms. I feel tears well up in my eyes.  
_Sasuke... _As we exit the last room on our floor, we head to the next. Naruto breathes heavilly and I feel a bit light headed myself. Suddenly Naruto trips ahead of me.  
"Naruto-kun!" I help him stand, staggering slightly myself.  
"We've split into 2 search parties, we don't want to be too hasty. Lets rest for a bit."  
"Shut up. I don't have time to rest." Naruto shakilly pulls his arm off of my shoulders and attempts to walk forward. "We'll find Sasuke any minute now." He staggers again and I grab his arm so he doesnt fall.

_Theres still damage from the Kyuubi...  
_He passes out and I fall to the floor under his weight. Sai walks forward and helps to pull him off of me. I lay Naruto flat, putting my hands on his arms.  
_Some of his muscles are torn... but I can't use my Chakara to help heal them...  
_I sigh in frustration, pulling him up against the wall and then sitting between him and Sai. I rest for a moment in silence before standing.  
"Im going to check for traps." I say. I stand and move a little bit away from the two boys, activating my Sharingan. All around me the tiles seem normal. I check the floor for strings and fake tiles but I find none. I turn the other way, doing the same run-down. When I spot no traps I head back to Sai and Naruto, deactivating my Kekki Genkai. I find Naruto awake and Sai smiling what seems to be... a genuine smile...  
I hear footsteps behind me and freeze, eyes wide.  
"Right, Sai, who's side will you take now?"


	34. The Bingo Book

Sai and Naruto stands quickly and I whip around, facing Orochimaru himself.  
"Sen'ei Jashu!" Snakes launch at us from beneath Orochimaru's sleeve and I am immediatly reminded of Anko. I flip backward, landing between my two team mates.  
"It looks like you're on their side after all Sai, ... or whatever you're name really is." Orochimaru says, the snakes shrinking back into his sleeve. Naruto steps forward.  
"I'll keep him busy." my head snaps towards him and Sai makes a small noise. "Sai, Kanami, please go look for Sasuke."  
"Are you insane?!" I exclaim. Naruto looks at me over his shoulder. "Hurry!" I think for a moment before looking to Sai.  
"Sai. Go. I'll stay with him." Naruto looks back to me as Sai nods, turning heel and moving away in an attempt to finish our search. "Kanami-"  
"Naruto you still have some damage left from our last encounter." I say, interrupting him. "And I'm not leaving without putting up a fight." I glare at Orochimaru, who smirks. Naruto turns back to Orochimaru.  
"Fine. Get ready."  
"Come here to take Sasuke-kun home have you?" I grit my teeth. "You're persistance is impressive but will things really go as you wish?" Naruto tenses.  
"I don't care if you're one of the Sannin like Ero-Sennin and Granny Tsunade, I'm gonna kick you're ass and take Sasuke back!" He puts his hand in a symbol and I notice a strange look pass through Orochimaru's yellow eyes.  
_Its... hunger... For bloodlust and for the Bijuu inside of Naruto!...  
_I focus my Chakara with all of my might as Naruto puts his hands together.

Yamato's POV:

Sakura peeks into another dark room.  
"Not here either." She murmurs, begining to close the door. I feel a spike in tension and my eyes widen.  
"Kanami's Chakara!" I mutter. Sakura turns to me with an almost scared look on her face, although its more like one of worry. "Looks like something's happened."  
_And there's Naruto's... but... Where's Sai's?  
_I look at Sakura. "Lets go."  
"Okay!"

Kanami's POV:

Several Kage Bunshin's begin to erupt around me, creating a plume of smoke that puts out some of the candles. I take this time to make my own Kage Bunshin, slipping into the crowd of Naruto's with a simple Henge. We rush at Orochimru, the real Naruto hanging back.  
"Sen'ei Jashu." Naruto's begin dissapearing on the spot and I fall back slightly before leaping into the air, kunai in hand. I drop the henge, rocketing towards Orochimaru when I stop, the blade only centimeters from his face. He grins. The snake around my waiste constricts me slightly and I let out a small grunt.  
"Son of a-" Suddenly I am whisked around and thrown directly at Naruto. My Curse Mark throbs and I wince as I skid across the floor.  
"Show me what you are truely capable of!" I grit my teeth, sitting up on one arm.  
"Sen'ei Jashu!" More snakes erupt from Orochimaru's arm, speeding towards us with small Kusanagi swords in their mouths. Suddenly a block of wood smashes through the wall, crushing the snakes against the wall opposite. The bodies for the snakes flow back into Orochimaru's sleeve once more as the wood retreats and Yamato leaps into the hall beside us, Sakura in his wake. Yamato helps me up.  
"Orochimaru again?" He mutters. Naruto looks back at them and Sakura gives him a nod. Orochimaru frowns.  
"Naruto-kun, I'll let you live for now." I make a face, gently lifting a hand to my Curse Mark as a searing pain washes down my shoulder. "Please do you're best to kill at least one more Akatsuki for me, okay?"  
_He's speaking to us so... casually..._

"Wh-What?" Naruto grunts.  
"Now then, I have buisness with that Sai boy. If you'll excuse me." And with that he is gone. Another wave of pain shoots down my arm and I wince, I begin to nullify the pain. Sakura walks over while Yamato asks Naruto where Sai is. She helps me with my shoulder and I thank her.  
Sakura notices the picturebook in Sai's bag and picks it up, flipping to the middle. I peek over her shoulder and smile. "Oh yeah! He remembered!" Naruto says. The two middle pages are finally full and show Sai, holding hands with his brother. Both boys have a smile on their face.  
"They're both smiling." Sakura says, seemingly happy for Sai.  
"Yeah. When he finished it, he smiled from the bottom of his heart. A real smile." Yamato walks over, going through Sai's bag. He makes a face, pulling out a small black book. He opens the book and his eyes widen.  
"Th-This is-" I turn to him, suddenly worried. He hasn't lost his cool the whole mission and suddenly he's stuttering? I peek over his shoulder and make a face, letting out a small gasp.  
"Thats a Bingo book! But... Why is?..." Yamato turns to Sakura and Naruto, showing them the book. "It was in Sai's bag." He says.  
"Why would Sai have something like that?" Sakura wonders. I gently lift the book from Yamato's hands, flipping through the pages. I flip to a page and gasp, covering my mouth with one hand. The others look at me, sweat forming on their foreheads.  
"What is it?" Yamato asks. I gently hold the book up, flipping it for them to see. "Look." My hand shakes slightly as everyone recognises the young boy with dark hair and cold, dark eyes. A leaf headband is tied over his forehead.  
"Th-Thats!-"  
"Sasuke..." Yamato murmurs.  
_Sai... You...  
_"Why is Sasuke in Sai's Bingo Book?" Naruto asks. I look up at him.  
"Isn't it obvious?" I murmur. He tears his gaze away from the paper and looks at my horrified face. "If there's no X on the picture, he hasn't been terminated yet..." Sakura swallows, eyes wide.  
"Sai is going to kill Sasuke."


	35. Sasuke Found

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widen and after a moment of considerable arguing we hurry off after Yamato, who sensed Sai's Chakara. Sakura grabs Sai's bag, hurrying after him.  
_Sai... When I see you, you have some explaining to do!  
_Suddenly the ground shakes and the sound of crubling earth can be heard. Small rocks tumble from the ceiling.  
"Looks like he found Sasuke..." I mutter. Everyone freezes as we find a bright white light filtering in from the outside. Sakura hurries forward, grabbing Sai's collar.  
"What are you really after?! How many times are you going to stab us in the-"  
"Sakura." I tense at the sound of a familiar voice and Sakura ceases her yelling. Naruto and I move at the same time and rush forward. Naruto trips and I grab his arm, not looking away from the opening, and pull him up. He gains speed and reaches the others before me. I am the last of Sakura, Naruto, Sai and myself to reach the crater. I follow the other's eye sight and wince at the blazing sun. As my eyes adjust, I find my cousin. Sasuke. He's right there. Right in front of me. My eyes widen.  
"Sasu...ke..." I murmur. He looks at us with an unwavering, uncaring gaze. A gust of wind blows past, ruffling his shirt and making his hair swish sideways.  
"Naruto? And Kanami even?" My jaw drops slightly when he speaks. "So you both are here too?" Yamato walks calmly out from the hallway. "I assume Kakashi is with you, as well."  
"Sorry, I'm not Kakashi-san." Yamato says calmly, looking up at Sasuke. "I'm here in his place. The new Team Kakashi is taking you back to Konoha." Sasuke's gaze slides over to Sai, who pulls out his sword.  
"Sai! I knew it, you're!-" Sakura exclaims. I turn to him, Naruto and Yamato tense.  
"So he's my replacement?" Sasuke calls down. "Another loser joins the ranks." He mutters. I look back up to him. "He said something about wanting to protect my 'bond' with Naruto and Kanami." Sakura looks at Sai.

"Sai, wasn't you're mission to-"  
"In reality my secret mission was to assasinate Sasuke-kun. But I don't care about my orders anymore. I want to act of my own free will." I smile internally as I am unable to do so with my actual face, shock and many other feelings are currrently assulting my brain so you can see why. I ignore Sai's last sentence as a flare of pain rushes through my shoulder again. I wince slightly, bringing a hand up.  
_What the shit?!  
_"...But Sasuke-kun, you should understand them!" My brain kicks back into drive as Sai finishes his small rambling.  
"Oh, I do." Sasuke says, closing his eyes. "Thats why I severed them!" He says coldly, his eyes narrowed in a look of pure discust. I look up at him, making a small noise as Naruto and Sakura's heads turn to him once more. "I have a different kind of 'bond'." He says. "A bond of hatred with my brother."  
Another flash of pain courses through me and my ears ring as I try to hide it. It seems to be working as no one has noticed yet... except for mabey Sasuke...  
Suddenly, before I know it Sasuke is in front of me, an arm over my shoulder. My eyes widen as the ringing in my ears fades.  
"That Mark causing you trouble?" He asks me. "Maybe once Naruto is Hokage he can figure out how to seal it. That was you're dream right, Naruto?" He says nonchalontly.  
_H-He's fast!_

"Or maybe I can put you out of you're misery, on my passing whim. And the future Hokage will remember being as useless as always." He continues, unsheathing his sword. Sasuke swings the sword, I notice the Uchiha clan symbol on its handle before someone moves. Sai grabs Sasuke's arm, stopping the sword, and holds his own towards Sasuke.  
"That manner of defense was... correct." Sai makes a face. A branch of wood shoots towards Sasuke, who activates his Sharingan.  
"Chidori Nagashi!" I fly backward as electricity courses through my body and I let out a yelp, skidding across the ground. Sai is sent in the opposite direction. The wooden branch desintegrates and Naruto's necklace flies off as Sai hits into him, sending the stream of electricity into his body as well.

Sakura's POV:

_He's releasing Chidori from his entire body!  
_Sai, Kanami and Naruto lay unconsious and Sasuke watches Kanami with a look of hate. She winces, clutching her shoulder before her hand falls limply to herside.  
_Even unconsiously she cant move her limbs... Her wound!  
_Kanami's ripped jacket exposes the mark Naruto's tail had created only hours ago. The healed scratches are red and inflamed, only just beginning to scar.  
_It wasn't like that before!  
_Sasuke swings at me and in a flash, Yamato blocks the sword. And just as quickly, he is peirced my the blade. His body begins to numb and he drops the kunai in his hand.

Kanami's POV:

I wake up and notice Yamato with a sword in his shoulder. I struggle to sit up and ignore the searing pain in my shoulder. My Mangekyou activates unwillingy.  
"S-Sasu...ke..." His gaze shits to mine for a moment. "Stop..." I grunt. An emotion flashes through his eyes that I am unable to read.  
"I see. So you've already gotten it, Kanami?" Yamato struggles to look at me from over his shoulder. "I assume you did as Itachi had?" I stand shakilly.  
"Yes but... N-Not on purpose..." I reply. Naruto begins to awaken nearby as I stand, knees buckled together and balance compromised. I look toward him and deactivate my Mangekyou as I notice his red eyes. Suddenly all of the pain in my body vanishes and I stand in a room with Sasuke and Naruto. An orangy-red, bubbly creature moves towards Naruto but is stopped by Sasuke. I let out a small noise as I realise what the creatures shape is and what the cage is for, falling on my rear behind Naruto, who looks at us in surprise.  
"I see. So you two are Uchiha. Never thought one would be scared of me." The Kyuubi says. "My, How you have grown..."  
"What are you two doing here?" My knee's shake slightly and I scoot back.  
"I-I dont know but d-dont let the Kyuubi near me..." I whisper. Sasuke on the other hand, smirks.  
"I can see it now. So this is you're unknown power, huh?" He passes a glance back at Naruto.

"Who would have thought that you'd have something like this inside of you..."  
"To think you'd become able to see me within Naruto... That dreadful Sharingan. So that's the power of the cured clan, huh?" I jolt as the Kyuubi speaks and Naruto bends down, still not taking his eyes off of the two in front of us.  
"Are you ok?" He asks. I nod.  
"Yeah I just... Don't like to see Bijuu like t-this..." I murmur back.  
"It seems that this isn't the first time you've seen the Sharingan. So.. You must by the Kyuubi then?" Naruto and I watch Sasuke with a look of complete shock. Before I can know what happens, I feel sick to my stomach and find myself back with Sakura and Yamato. They watch Sasuke and Naruto, who stare at eachother, seemingly uninterested in anything else. I collapse onto my knee's and puke.  
"Kanami! Are you alright?!" Sakura calls. I give a shaky nod, wiping my mouth.  
"T-That was horrific..." I shudder at the though of being so close to the Kyuubi's jaws. Sai and Naruto sit up after a moment, Sai lifting a hand to his head and shaking it. I puke again. While Sasuke is distracted, Yamato is able to push the sword, and Sasuke back.  
"Wood Style: Domed wall!" Wood bursts upward in shoots, wrapping upward and clicking together in an egg shape around Sasuke. He merely cuts the wood, leaping back up to his place on the ledge.


	36. Back home

"Why?" I look to Naruto as he clenches a fist. "Why don't you get it?!" He grits his teeth. Sasuke stares at us with blood red eyes, no emotion showing through his gaze. "Orochimaru's gonna take over you're body!" Sasuke's gaze is unwavering.  
"If thats what happens, thats what happens." I make a face, eyes wide. "You still think like a kid, Naruto. My revenge is everything to me. As long as I can exact it, I don't care what happens to me or anyone else." I try to stand, to make him see reason, but my body is shaking and my voice won't work.  
"Here's the situation." I move my hand to my inflamed arm and wince.  
_I don't have enough Chakara left to heal it...  
_"Neither I nor Orochimaru are a match for Itachi. If sacrificing my body to Orochimaru is the only way to kill him, I'll give up my life a million times over."  
I find the strength to move into a sitting position.  
"Thats..." Sasuke's gaze shifts to me. "Thats insane! Do you have any idea what would happen if you did that?! Konoha and all of the other Vilages, all of the countries, will be thrown into chaos!" I exclaim. Yamato stands slowly as Sasuke doesn't respond, moving orward.  
"Enough talk. Naruto, Sakura, Kanami, I'd hoped I wouldn't have to injure him in front of you three. But I need to get serious now." My body is still shaking and I swear I can still feel electric shock coursing through my body.  
"Yamato Deichou..." Sakura murmurs.  
"Get serious?" Naruto grunts, still attempting to stand.  
"I just can't let someone, who left the Village in the same way as Orochimaru, run loose. So I'll do whatever it takes to bring Sasuke back to Konoha." Yamato explains.

"Konoha, huh?..." Sasuke mutters. "I've had enough of you guys." He lifts his sword, sticking it into the ground and flashing through hand symbols. I activate my Sharingan. "Its over." Sasuke says darkly. My eyes widen as Chakara begins to pour through Sasuke's body. I am ready to run when something clasps onto Sasuke's hand. My eyes narrow as I recognise the pale skinned man.  
_Orochimaru...  
_"Don't bother with that Justu, Sasuke." He says, still holding his wrist.  
"Let go of me." Sasuke says darkly.  
"Hey, hey." Kabuto appearsout of nowhere, free from his restraints. I make a face. "Don't talk like that to Orochimaru-samma."  
"I have no reason to stop." Sasuke retorts.  
"You know what the Akatsuki are up too, don't you?" Kabuto explains. "We want these guys from Konoha to take care of the Akatsuki for us. As many of them as possible... You're revenge won't turn out well if the othr Akatsuki get in the way, right?"  
"Thats a pathetic reason." Sasuke mutters, hand still in the air. My ears begin to ring again as pain flashes down my spine. I wince as Sasuke dissapears in a flash of fire. Naruto's head falls to the ground, a forlorn face plastered to his features. My body convulses violently and I hold back another wave of puke as tears leak from my eyes. My ears are ringing and I fail to hear the conversation my team is having. I just see moving mouths. Suddenly my arms feel numb and my vision begins to blur.

Yamato's POV:

Its good to see that everyone is still determined to bring back Sasuke and to stop the chaos that would occur if Orochimaru's goals are met.  
"We should head back to the Village now." I say. Naruto grabs the necklace he'd lost and stands shakilly with the help of Sakura. Sai stands on his own and I look to Kanami. Her eyes are dull and her arms shaky. One of her arms suddenly bends and she keels over. Sakura's eyes widen as Kanami slumps to the floor, her hands and arms failing to keep her standing. We all hurry over. Her eyes are still open and she hasn't passed out... which I guess is good.  
"I cant... I can't feel my arms..." She says quietly, wincing slightly from pain.  
Sakura examines her arms.  
"That move Sasuke used must have damaged you're nerve cells pretty badly... especially on you're left arm..." She murmurs. "Can you stand?" Kanami nods and Sakura helps her up. Kanami's arms hang limply by her sides. "When we get back to Konoha, you need medical attention." Kanami nods and Sakura helps her start moving.  
Its time we head home.

Kanami's POV:

*Timeskip*  
I am able to move my fingers ever so slightly by the time I reach the hospital. They lead me to a room and sit me down on a bed, examining my arms. I don't notice the man with an orange book in hand across the room in another bed. I wince as a doctor examines my swollen wound, the one Naruto had accidentially made.  
"Kanami?" I peek over my shoulder and find Kakashi-Sensei in the bed across the room.  
"Oh. Hey Sensei!" I say, giving him a smile despite the pain coursing through my very SOUL. Seriously this is extremely painful. Kakashi's eyes shift to my arms that hang limply by my sides.  
"Are you alright?" Next thing I know Jiraiya is in the hospital room.  
"Well. I didn't expect you to be here, Kanami." He says. His eyes also shift to my arms. He makes a face as his eyes fall to my wounded arm.

"So it was true then?" I nod, wincing as a doctor places a glowing hand on the swollen wound.  
"What was true? What happened?" Kakashi asks. So Jiraiya and I explain. "You guys fought Sasuke?!" I nod again, begining to move my hands as feeling returns to them.  
"Thats why I can't really move my arms... He' gotten a lot stronger." I say. Soon the swelling on my arm dies down and the scratches begin to scar normally. "He learned a new way to use Chidori." Kakashi raises an eyebrow an Jiraiya watches as I twitch my fingers.  
"He called it 'Chidori Nagashi'. He released Chidori from his entire body." I say. Jiraiya puts a hand under his chin.  
"So on top of fighting Sasuke, Naruto went on another rampage." I look down at my legs.  
"This mission doesn't sound like it went very well." Kakashi says. "But, at least Naruto will be pumped up for training, right?" He says with a smile. I grin, nodding. "Right." The doctor working on my arm forces more Chakara into my arm and I wince, jerking my arm away.  
"Well, it seem's you're arm's gotten better." He says. "You should be good to go." I stand up, thanking the doctor and waving to Kakashi and Jiraiya. Exiting the building, I walk towards my home, knowing to be on stand-by.  
"Kanami!" I look to my left and notice Honno racing towards me. She practically slams into me before grabbing my arm and examining it. "What the hell happened to you?!" I sigh.  
"Honno, people are staring." I sigh. Honno looks around before looking back to me. "Who cares?!"


	37. Asuma's Gang

Honno drags me across the village to a Dango shop and sits me down. We order some Dango and Honno demands that I explain everything that happened. Her jaw drops when I tell her about Sasuke.  
"You fought Sasuke?!" She exclaims. Next thing I know, Sai, Lee and Tenten are sitting beside us. Honno, having not met Sai, promptly bonks him on the head.  
"Honno! Its ok!" I exclaim. She sighs, ripping a piece of Dango from her kebab-like stick of them. After finishing the Dango, I pull myself away, explaining that I should head home. As I walk I let out a relieved sigh, happy to be home. I gently open the door to my home and he I head up to my room, removing my torn jacket and Chuunin vest. I place them on my bed, putting on an old T-shirt. I slip off my shoes and head downstairs to grab my sewing kit to patch this up. Just as I pull out the box from the depths of my 'Junk Drawer', I hear a knock on my door. I straighten. "It's Open!" I notice a white paw as the door slides open and pull the sleeve on my left arm down quickly to cover my scratches. Kiba opens the door with a smile and Akamaru lets out a bark.  
"Hey! Heard you got back today so I thought I'd stop by." He says, removing his shoes. "You've been gone a while, huh?" I smile at him.  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I beckon for him to follow me. "C'mon. I have to go patch up my jacket." Kiba follows me up the steps and into my room. I pull my jacket onto my lap, begining to stitch it up.  
"Jeeze thats a big tear." He says, peering curiously at the rip. I nod, pulling my arm above my head to thread the string through the cloth.

Kiba peers at my hands for a second and then proceeds to look around my room.  
"So, how'd the mission go?" He asks. I look up at him, still sewing.  
"It was a faliure but next time I'll be ready!" I say, making a fist and then picking my jacket up off the floor. I finish up the stitching and hang the jacket up to wash later. I pull the sleeve on my shirt down again as Kiba peers at my arm once more.  
"Hey, whats up with you're arm?" He asks. I put my hand over the scars.  
"Nothing." Kiba frowns. "Seriously I'm fine." I turn and put my Chuunin vest on my chair. I move to turn around but find Kiba in my face.  
"Let me see you're arm." He demands. I back up, hand still over the scars.  
"No, Kiba really I'm alright." Kiba reaches for my hand and forcefully yet gently pulls my hand off of my arm. I make a face as he lifts the sleeve of my shirt, making a face at the long scratches trailing down my upper arm. His grip on my wrist tightens slightly.  
"What the hell gave you those?!" He exclaims, looking at me. I look down.  
"Don't worry about it. It's noting." I say, pulling the sleeve down again and moving away from Kiba. He grabs my arm gently, stopping me.  
"Kanami what happened?" he asks. I turn to him, crossing my arms. And I explain. I just don't tell him about the scratches or Naruto goimg crazy.  
"Woah.." Kiba murmurs. I run my fingers over my arm. "So... You understand why I can't tell you?" Kiba nods, pulling my into a hug.  
"I'm just glad you're safe." He says, his face buried in my hair. I sigh, hugging him back.  
"I know." I say quietly. We stay like that for a minuet before a large, fluffy creature wriggles its way in between me and him, licking my face. I laugh, petting Akamaru.

Kiba soon takes his leave and I finish up what I need to. I spend a few hours quietly making another poison and reading some books I'd borrowed from the library. I pause from my reading and remember Sai's fondness for drawing. I stand and make my way quietly over to my desk, birds flying past my window. I push aside my new poison and stand, heading to town. I return with a small canvas and a set of brushes and paints. I prop up the canvas, tapping my chin.  
_What should I... paint?  
_I dip my brush in a random color and decide to go with the flow. Soon, a picture of a feild erupts onto the canvas, leaves fluttering across the canvas.  
"Oi! Kanami!" I pause, looking up from cleaning up the brushes. Naruto, Sakura and Yamato stand outside my house. Naruto waves.  
"We have a new mission! Let's go get Sai!" I nod, moving away from my window and putting my newly patched and cleaned jacket on under my Chuunin vest. I leave quickly, going on a quick, easy and rather seemless 'C-Rank' mission. We return home at around dark. I head inside, changing quickly and peering at my arm in the mirror. I gently brush my fingers across the scars, sighing slightly, before retireing to my bed.

*Dream State*

I watch as a temple, filled with monks and brittle with age, crumbles before my very eyes. A small boy, barely visible, breathes heavilly through the sound of struggling wails. A horrifying creature made purely of red Chakara erupts into my vision, blocking everything else. An image of the Kyuubi follows, it letting out a peircing roar.

*End*

I wake with a start, sweat rolling down my face and breathing heavilly. I wipe my forehead, resting a hand in my palm.  
_What... Was that?  
_I sit quietly in bed for several minutes and calm myself. "What was that even about?..."  
I straighten my pajama's, being to lazy to change out of them. I was to meet Sakura and Naruto at the hospital to go see Kakashi-Sensei. I kinda missed the guy to be honest, without him and his sense of humor it wasnt quite 'Team Kakashi'.  
I hear a knock on my door as I finish a peeled orange. I walk over and gently slide the door open, blinking as Naruto's body comes into veiw.  
"Yo." He says. I sigh, slipping on my shoes.  
"I was just leaving." I say, closing the door behind me. Naruto peers at me as we begin to walk.  
"I know, I just figured you could use someone to walk with." He says. I give him a small smile of gratitude before swerving to avoid a small group of speeding children. Naruto looks down, hands behind his head. "I... Also wanted to apologise... For the scars." He says quietly. My eyes widen slightly and I turn to him with a small noise. "Yamato Deichou told me..." He elaboratates. I put a hand on his shoulder.  
"No worries. I know you weren't really yourself at the time." I say with another smile. "And it looks like they'll heal fine and fade." Naruto smiles.  
"Thats good." As we approach the hospital, we sit silently and wait for Sakura. I drift into thought, remembering the dream with a confused expression. I snap out of it, head jolting upwards as Sakura calls for us. Sai stands quietly beside her. I space out again. I notice from the corner of my eyes a nervous and embarassed blush tinging Sai's cheek. I almost smirk but then I fall right back into the thoughts of my dream.

Next thing I know Sakura is struggling to claw out Sai's eyes and Naruto holds her back. I sigh, standing. Sai and Naruto both recieve a swift hit to the cheek and we enter the hospital, them still rubbing their tender faces. I smile, blanching slightly as we enter Kakashi's room. He raises an eyebrow, looking up from his book.  
"So, you're the new guy? Sai was it? Nice to meet you." He says. Sai continues to rub his cheek.  
"Sir.." He says quietly. He beckons Sakura over and whispers something in her ear. She jumps slightly, waving a hand.  
"No no! Its nothing like that, we're getting along fine!" She rushes. I smirk. She gives us a nervous laugh. Sakura nods to Naruto and he takes a half of a step towards Kakashi's bed.  
"Um.. Kakashi-Sensei, on the last mission-"  
"I know. Kanami told me everything." I look down at my feet, scuffing my shoe across the floor and looking to my uppe right as everyone turns to me. Kakashi then goes through his brilliant plan to train Naruto. I have a feeling that they'll be working with Chakara, considering his Kyuubi outbreak and his inability to decently control its Chakara.  
"How you feeling today, Kakashi?" The door slides open quietly.  
"Asuma-Sensei! You can't just barge in like that! You should learn to knock!" Ino says, voice raised slightly. I blush slightly remembering our 'learn to knock' incident as Genin. Asuma and his team walk into the room.

"Well if it isn't Naruto and Sakura. I guess you're mission went-" Shikamaru stops as he see's Sai. He grimaces slightly. "Hey, you're that guy from..."  
"Huh? What guy?" Ino asks, her face heating slightly as Choji too voices his shock. We soon leave at Asuma and Kakashi's word and head over to Yakiniku. I sit quietly beside Naruto, Shikamaru having left to help his father collect antlers. I gently flip over some meat, letting it sizzle as Choji and Ino introduce themselves to Sai. Ino seems to be pining for Sai.  
"Nice to meet you um..." I pause from lifting a piece of pork to my plate and glance up at Sai.  
_DONT SAY IT DONT SAY IT!_


	38. Cutting the Grass- Er- Tree's

"Fa-" In a flash something dark leaps ontop of Sai and Choji makes a face. Honno sits up, rubbing her head after a moment.  
"G-Gomen. I-I smelled meat and I just... I don't really know..." She lies quickly. I can tell when she lies cause her little teeth chatter slightly. Ino, Sakura, Naruto and I let out a sigh and I continue to eat my pork.  
"Hey, we're you gonna say something?" Choji asks, confused. Sakura waves her hand.  
"No no! It was nothing dont worry about it!" She rushes. Honno plops down on the other side of the table and grabs a piece of meat with her fingers, dropping it into her mouth.  
"Anyway, I'm Ino Yamanaka and my family owns the Yamanaka Flower Shop! Nice to meet you!" She says sweetly, buttering up her words. Honno's eyebrow twitches and I hold back a few chuckles.  
"Nice to meet you, um..." I make a face looking at Sai again.  
_Oh no. Here it comes!  
_I gently lift my hands to my ears and Naruto watches with a worried face.  
"Gorgeous."  
I keel over in laughter with Honno as Ino's face reddens.  
"You call HER gorgeous!" Sakura exclaims, lunging at Sa. Naruto stands up, holding her back.  
"S-Sakura! Ack! T-Take it easy!" He exclaims as cups fly into the wall.  
We take our leave, separating from the two as we all head home. The next day, I head over to the hospital with Tsunade, Sakura and Honno, who wanted to come along for the ride.

"Everything seems alright. So, we'll discharge you today." Tsunade says, putting her hands on her hips. Kakashi glances past us.  
"Is it because you want to get rid of that extra 'baggage' over there?" I turn around, chuckling as Naruto snores away, clinging to his pillow.  
"That... Was a factor." Tsunade says. Sakura's eyebrow twitches and Honno makes a face as Naruto scratches his rear.  
"Naruto. He's been holed up here the whole time saying he could start training any minute!" Sakura says distastefully.  
"I was hoping I'd have a few days to be lazy- er, recover at my own home. But I'm out of books to read so I might as well start his training." Kakashi sighs.  
"Raseng-!" I jump and turn as Naruto lets out a war cry. Sakura makes a face and Honno stalks towards him. She leans close to Narutos ear.  
"Wake the hell up, Naruto!" She shouts. Naruto shoots upright, still clutching his pillow. He turns groggily toward her and she puts her hands on her hips.  
"Ugly whore..." He says sleepily. I make a worried face.  
"THE HELL?!" Naruto jumps. "H-Honno-chan?!" He exclaims. I hurry forward, latching onto Honno and ripping her away from him before she rips him to shreds.  
"Lemme go! Lemme at 'em!" Honno says angrilly, claws reaching out for Naruto, who scrambles back before falling from the bed.  
"No!"  
"Kanami!"  
"I said no!"  
"C'mon!"  
"I'm not trying to put him in the hospital!"  
"Don't make me lick you!" Honno threatens as we now stand before Kakashi's bed. I narrow my eyes.  
"Dont. You. Dare." I say darkly. Honno grabs my hand, jerking it up to her face and licks my wrist, trailing her tongue up my palm and fingers. She drops it. I make a face.  
"WHAT THE SHIT THATS SO GROSS I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN!" I exclaim, wiping her saliva on her shirt. She rips my other hand off of her before I tackle her to the ground, giving her a noogie. Several minutes later I stand with Kakashi and Naruto in an open clearing. Kakashi explains the whole 'Chakara Shape and Nature Manipulation' thing and I nod.  
"Element-what now?" Naruto asks. I sigh.  
"Geeze didn't you ever study?" I mutter. Naruto gives me a look. "There are 5 basic types of Chakara Elemental Nature." I say, holding my hand up. "They are Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning and Earth. The 5 great Shinobi Nations are named for these Elements and they form the foundation of Nin-Jutsu. Ne, Sensei?" I say, turning to face Kakashi, who nods.

"Oh... Cool..." Naruto murmurs.  
"Most people's Chakara naturally tends to lean toward a certain Element." Kakashi looks at me. "For example, the Uchiha are geared naturally towards fire, thus they were exceptionally skilled in Fire Elemental techniques. Chidori is a Lightning Technique." Naruto's eyes narrow.  
"So, Sasuke's got Fire and Lightning Natures, right?" He asks. I give him a curt nod.  
"Yes. Just like I've got Fire and Earth techniques. Although I can copy just about any move, even the Chidori, though it would take some time." I add.  
"And you currently have Zero." Kakashi states, pulling four small slips of paper out of his pouch. "You don't even know what affinity you're Chakara is." I take two of the slips.  
"Chakara paper, right?" I ask, peering up at him. He nods again. Kakashi holds up a paper before it crinkles. Naruto does a double take and Kakashi explains Chakara paper. I hold up my first, it bursts into flame and crumbles in a heap of ash. Naruto watches in wonder as I hold up my second slip, focusing Chakara into it. It crumbles into a heap of dirt. Kakashi holds up another paper and hands it to Naruto. "So lets find out. Focus you're Chakara into the paper."He instructs. Naruto nods and after a moment he holds two split pieces of paper.  
"Wind Nature." I mutter as a breeze blows my hair infront of me. I push it back. "Perfectly suited for battle."  
Naruto first-pumps. "Damn, I am _so_ awesome!" He exclaims, rather chipper now that he's learned his affinity.  
"Not yet, you're not. We only just found this out." As Kakashi speaks to Naruto I am aware of another precense approaching us. I turn to my eft as Yamato leaps into the clearing.

"Eh? Yamato Deichou? Oh wait! Nevermind." I gret him, sheepishly rubbing my neck as I remember Yamato's purpose in Naruto's training.  
_He's got to control Naruto in case he gets out of hand.  
_After a few minuets, wich contain Yamato making a waterfall and forcing tree's to erupt from the rocks, Kakashi taps my shoulder.  
"Can you make a Shadow Clone?" He sighs. I nod, putting my hands together. A clone erupts beside me in a puff of smoke and stands next to Clone Naruto and Clone Kakashi. They head over to the woods where we can't see them. After a while I notice my Chakara returning to a slightly normal state as the Jutsu drops. I smirk as Naruto looks smugly at Kakashi.  
"Pfft. Wow Sensei I can't believe you went with that bet." I say, holding my stomach. Yamato raises an eyebrow.  
"I still beat you." I frown, muttering about games of luck.  
"Hehe! Now Kakashi-Sensei has to buy me Ramen! I beat him in rock-paper-scissors!" I deadpan, turning to him.  
"Naruto I beat you... So Kakashi has to buy for you and you have to buy for me." I say, tilting my head higher in victory as Kakashi sighs and Naruto makes a face.  
"You forced that bet on me." Kakashi says. Before long, there are millions of Naruto's and one naked looking tree. I lay back in the grass, wondering if I could add a cool new manipulation to my Fire Element when Kakashi peers up from his book at Naruto.  
"He's already starting to cut them?" I look up at a Naruto who gazes happily at the small cut in the leaf. I raise my eyebrows.  
"This may go faster than you thought, Sensei."


	39. Sora's Secret

As Naruto's training continues, Yamato prepairs in case of an incident. I watch quietly from beside Kakashi. Honno leaps into the clearing.  
"Hey, whats going on?" She asks. I peer up at her.  
"Naruto's undergoing some training with his Wind Element nature." I reply, looking back to my team mate.  
"And I assume that Yamato is here to control the Kyuubi?" Yamato nods, arm stretched out with the kanji for 'Sit' on his hand. Kakashi reads on silently.  
"I can help." Honno says, leaning on the tree beside us. We all look to her, eyebrows raised.  
"And how would that work?" I ask. Honno sends me a look and point to her head.  
"Kira can talk to the Kyuubi through our minds." I make a face.  
"Eh?" I am obviously confused at this notion. Kira, the Jubi, was a seemingly friendly Tailed Beast. This is strange because they are known for their hostility. At times, such as when Gaara was presumed dead, Kira will take over as his bloodlust grows.  
Kakashi raises an eyebrow but says nothing more of it. I hear the sound of footsteps and look up as Naruto makes his way through the crowd of himself and approaches Kakashi.  
"Oi, Kakashi-Sensei. Is there anyone else in Konoha with Wind Nature Chakara?"

*Timeskip*  
Geeze even just watching this is difficult. Its taken quite a while but finally, Naruto lets out a cheer of joy as millions of split leaves fly into the air.  
"I knew I was awesome but Damn!" Naruto exclaims happily. I chuckle, shaking my head. Honno smirks and Kakashi peeks up from his green book.  
"Excuse me. You're progressing because of _my _awesome training method." He says, clearly out-ranking Naruto in superiority and higher thinking.  
Yamato sends him a withering look.  
"I think I've been doing a pretty 'Awesome' job here too, Senpai." He says, looking slightly annoyed. Naruto disperses his clones with a cheeky grin.  
"Whatever, lets move onto the next step..." His eyes begin to roll behind his head and in a flash Kakashi catches him, saving him from a fall to the ground. I sigh.  
_That Naruto...  
_Honno and I scurry over as Sakura and Sai run from the tree's. Sakura looks to Kakashi.  
"Um...Sensei?" Kakashi turns his gaze from the passed out boy to her. "Tsunade-samma..."  
Minutes latger we arrive at Tsunade's office where she gives us a de-breifing.

We exit the building, meeting up with Asuma-Sensei and even Konohamaru before we leave the village. Naruto feeling slightly more pumped up than usual at the thought of Asuma begin the Thirds son, and both of them having Wind Nature Chakara.  
_A B-rank mission... Haven't had one this high in a while.  
_After a short while we approach the Fire Temple, where our mission was to be carried out. I freeze, realisation dawning on me as I take in the features of the ancient temple.  
_T-This is... from my dream!  
_Naruto pauses too and I pass him a sideways glance before continuing up the stairs after Sora, a monk in training we had met trying to kill Naruto. Sora walks towards the temple and I narrow my eyes at the withering looks people give him. Naruto seems to notice this too and makes a face.  
_Exactly like... When Naruto was a kid. Before he became a Ninja.  
_I remember back to the Academy. I had just arrived at the village yet still had the honor to graduate as one of their own Genin. Naruto had sat alone on the swing as more than one person muttered abuse about him. Mizuki had fooled him. And he had fooled Mizuki.  
_Could this guy be?..._

I hear a rustling in the bushes and subtly activate my Sharingan. A small rabbit hops out and I sigh, looking back to Sora. He glares at us over his shoulder and I tense.  
_This Chakara...Its insane!  
_Before my eyes small wisps of red Chakara float up from Sora's body and I try to hid my surprise.  
_This guy is the origin to many mysterious questions that need to be anwsered..._


	40. Important Status Update! Please Read!

Hey guys! So listen, I know I've been neglecting this story for a few weeks and I have a good reason. My friend asked me to make her a story on SAO so I obliged, and began to focus on that story because I knew I could get it out of the way. But, as of recently we have wiped a virus from my computer, the supposed origin from the cite I watch Naruto on for the story 'In Dire Times' and 'A Delicate Leaf from a Grain of Sand'. I don't know of any other cites and I don't want to be updating the story as I watch the episode corresponding to it. So until I find another cite, you'll have to ear with a new patch for 'Virtual Realities' that takes place after the events of SAO and ventures into ALO.  
**If anyone has any cite recommendations, I'll gladly accept. Please do not post as that is the cite refered to in this Status Update**. Thank you and good-bye!


End file.
